LIBRARY 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


Gl  FT    OF 


C/^ss 


THE  KINGDOM 


AND 


COMINGS  OF  CHRIST, 

WHEREIN  IS  EXPLAINED 

THE  PROPHECIES  OF  DANIEL,  THE  PREDICTIONS  OF 

JESUS  WITH  REFERENCE  TO  THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  JERUSALEM. 

AND  THE  BOOK  OF  REVELATION. 


BY  REV.  J.  C.  SIMMONS,  D.D., 

e  Pacific  Conference. 


Whoso  readeth,  let  him  understand." 


PRINTED  FOR  THE  AUTHOR. 

PUBLISHING  HOUSE  OF  THE  M.  E.  CHURCH,  SOUTH. 

BARBEE  &  SMITH,  AGENTS,  NASHVILLE,  TENN. 

1891. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1891, 

BY  J.  C.  SIMMONS, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


DEDICATION. 


To  MY  ONLY  LIVING  BROTHER, 

REV.    \tf.    A.     SIMMOKS. 

Of  the  North  Georgia.  Conference, 

WITH  WHOM  I  HAVE  KEPT  UP  A  WEEKLY  CORRESPONDENCE 
FOR  MORE  THAN  A  QUARTER  OF  A  CENTURY, 

THIS  BOOK  IS  AFFECTIONA  TELY  D  ED  1C  A  TED. 

THE  AUTHOR. 
(3) 


PREFACE. 


GOD  established  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  in  Eden  imme- 
diately after  the  fall.  Man  showed  his  sorrow  for  sin  by  mak- 
ing aprons  and  hiding  from  God.  When  called  to  account,  he 
confessed  his  sin,  and  God  at  once  provided  a  Saviour — "the 
seed  of  the  woman."  And  however  brief  the  account  given  in 
Genesis,  yet  full  and  explicit  explanations  of  the  plan  of  salva- 
tion were  doubtless  given  at  once;  and  man  was  instructed  as 
to  how  he  was  to  become  reconciled  to  God.  And  now,  lest  he 
should  come  direct  to  the  tree  of  life  without  the  mediation  of 
Christ,  and  eat  and  live  forever  as  he  was,  God  "  drove  out  the 
man;  and  he  placed  at  the  east  of  the  garden  of  Eden  cheru- 
bim, and  a  flaming  sword  which  turned  every  way,  to  keep  the 
way  of  the  tree  of  life."  Here  man  was  to  worship  God  through 
Christ,  and  through  him  and  him  alone  he  was  to  "have  right 
to  the  tree  of  life."  The  cherubim  here  are  identical  with 
those  found  in  the  tabernacle  and  temple  with  their  wings 
shadowing  the  mercy-seat;  and  what  is  called  a  "flaming 
sword"  here  was  the  "shekinah,"  as  it  was  called  in  the  temple 
worship.  And  all  this  was  not  to  keep  man  from  the  tree  of 
life,  but  to  preserve  the  way  of  the  tree  of  life.  There  were 
symbols  of  Divinity  perpetually  present  to  man  before  the 
flood.  In  Hebrews  ix.  Paul  speaks  of  these  symbols,  and 
shows  that  they  were  ordained  of  God  until  "Christ  being 
come  a  high  priest  of  good  things  to  come,  by  a  greater  and 
more  perfect  tabernacle,  not  made  with  hands,  that  is  to  say,  not 
of  this  building;  neither  by  the  blood  of  goats  and  calves,  but 
by  his  own  blood  he  entered  in  once  into  the  holy  place,  hav- 
ing obtained  eternal  redemption  for  us."  And  again:  "For 
Christ  is  not  entered  into  the  holy  places  made  with  hands, 
which  are  the  figures  of  the  true ;  but  into  heaven  itself,  now  to 
appear  in  the  presence  of  God  for  xis."  Evidently  there  was  at 
the  east  of  the  garden  of  Eden  a  mercy-seat,  with  cherubim 
on  either  end  of  it,  whose  wings  shadowed  this  mercy-seat, 
and  over  which  was  the  shekinah.  Here  man  was  to  bring  the 

(5) 

1 58899 


6  •  Preface. 


blood  of  his  sacrifice  and  sprinkle  it  on  the  mercy-seat,  in 
faith  of  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  who,  in  the  fullness  of  time, 
should  enter  into  the  "true  tabernacle  which  the  Lord  pitched, 
and  not  man,"  and  sprinkle  the  mercy-seat  in  the  presence  of 
God  with  his  own  blood. 

Hence  we  see  that  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  has  been  the 
same  in  all  ages,  but  there  have  been  different  dispensations; 
and,  while  the  worship  of  God  through  Christ  has  been  iden- 
tical in  all  ages,  yet  God  has  adapted  this  worship  to  man's  sur- 
roundings and  condition.  From  the  fall  to  the  flood,  men  wor- 
shiped God  here  at  the  east  of  the  garden  of  Eden.  From  the 
flood  to  Moses,  men  erected  altars  and  worshiped  God  where  it 
was  most  convenient  for  them;  for  we  read  that  Noah,  Abra- 
ham, Isaac,  Jacob,  and  others  built  altars,  and  worshiped  God. 
When  God  gave  the  law  by  the  hand  of  Moses,  then  the  taber- 
nacle was  erected,  and  men  came  unto  that.  When  they  reached 
the  promised  land,  God  chose  Jerusalem  as  the  place  of  wor- 
ship; and  here  it  was  observed  until  Christ  came,  was  crucified, 
rose  from  the  dead,  and  ascended  on  high  "  to  appear  in  the 
presence  of  God  for  us."  From  that  time  to  the  present,  men 
"worship  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth,"  "for  God  is  a  Spirit:  and 
they  that  worship  him  must  worship  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth." 

All  along  through  the  ages  the  coming  of  Christ  was  prom- 
ised: first,  as  the  "seed  of  the  woman;"  then  as  "the  seed  of 
Abraham;"  then  as  the  "Star  of  Jacob;"  then  as  the  "  Son  of 
David,"  etc.  As  the  time  of  his  coming  approached,  the  proph- 
ecies concerning  him  became  more  and  more  explicit,  and  rev- 
elations of  him  more  abundant.  His  first  coming  was  in  the  flesh ; 
his  second  coming  was  after  his  ascension,  when  he  came  to  judge 
and  overthrow  the  Jewish  nation  ;  his  third  coming  will  be  at  the 
end  of  time,  to  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead. 

There  has  been  much  confusion  in  the  minds  of  many  with 
reference  to  the  prophecies  concerning  these  several  comings 
of  Christ,  and  we  propose  to  try  and  present  these  comings  in 
their  regular  order,  pointing  out  the  prophecies  connected  with 
each  one.  It  is  not  our  purpose  so  much  to  combat  the  errors 
that  have  arisen  in  the  minds  of  many  as  it  is  to  present  the 
truth.  If  the  views  we  shall  present  be  correct,  then  all  others 
opposed  to  them  must  be  false.  We  do  not  profess  to  be  wiser 
than  others,  nor  are  we  so  vain  as  to  think  we  are  infallible. 


Preface.  7 

In  our  researches  we  have  availed  ourselves  of  every  help  in 
our  reach.  We  have  adopted  no  man's  theory  as  a  whole ;  but 
after  studying  the  subject,  first  in  the  Bible  itself  and  then  with 
the  help  of  others,  we  have  formulated  our  own  views,  and  shall 
ask  the  reader  to  examine  them  as  carefully  and  prayerfully 
while  reading  as  we  have  done  before  writing. 

We  shall  not  burden  our  work  with  quotation  marks;  but, 
here  and  now,  acknowledge  our  indebtedness  to  Rev.  T.  O. 
Summers,  Rev.  Henry  Cowles,  and  Canon  Farrar.  When  we 
make  any  extended  quotations  from  these  or  other  authors,  we 
will  make  due  acknowledgment,  but  do  not  feel  it  necessary  to 
mark  every  thougjit  suggested  by  them. 

In  all  our  work  we  have  labored  to  make  the  Scripture  its 
own  interpreter.  Often  symbols  in  the  New  Testament  can  be 
explained  and  understood  only  by  referring  to  the  same  sym- 
bols as  used  in  the  Old  Testament. 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  I.  PAGE 

First  Coming  of  Christ  to  Set  Up  a  Kingdom — Second 
Coming  to  Judge  the  Jews — Four  Parallel  Visions  of 
Daniel — Nebuchadnezzar's  Dream 13 

CHAPTER  II. 

Vision  of  the  Four  Beasts— The  Ten  Kings— The  Little 
Horn  Antiochus  Epiphanes — The  Ancient  of  Days — 
Christ's  Kingdom — An  Angel  Explains  the  Vision 20 

CHAPTER  III. 

The  Third  Parallel  Vision— The  Medo-Persian  Empire— 
The  Grecian  Empire — The  Four  Kingdoms — Syria  and 
Egypt — Antiochus  Epiphanes — A  Day  Not  a  Year  in 
Prophecy — Cleansing  the  Sanctuary — The  Vision  Ex- 
plained— Death  of  Antiochus— The  Little  Horn  Not  Papal 
Rome 37 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Daniel's  Confession  and  Prayer — Gabriel  Comes  to  Explain 
— When  Christ  Is  to  Suffer  and  Die — His  Kingdom  Es- 
tablished   62 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  Fourth  Parallel  Vision — The  Angel  Comes  to  Explain 
What  Should  Befall  the  Jews— Michael  the  Archangel.  .  76 

CHAPTER  VI. 

The  King  of  Persia  —  Xerxes  —  Alexander  —  Egypt  and 
Syria,  Their  Wars  and  Intrigues — Antiochus  Epiphanes; 
His  Vileness — His  Punishment  of  the  Jews — He  Profanes 
the  Temple  —  The  Daily  Sacrifice  Taken  Away — Perse- 
cution of  the  Jews — Judas  Maccabeus — Death  of  Anti- 
ochus Epiphanes 83 

(9) 


io  Contents. 

CHAPTER  VII.  PAGE 

Trials  and  Persecutions  of  the  Jews — The  Seven  Brethren 
and  Their  Mother  Martyred — The  Resurrection  to  Joy 
and  Shame — The  Thousand  Two  Hundred  and  Ninety 
Days — The  Sanctuary  Cleansed — The  Kingdom  of  Christ.  108 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  Prophecies  of  the  Old  Testament  Center  in  Israel- 
False  Interpretations — The  Triumphal  Entry  of  Jesus  into 
Jerusalem — Its  Object — The  Fig-tree  Cursed — The  Two 
Sons — Parable  of  the  Vineyard — Marriage  of  the  King's 
Son — Scribes,  Pharisees,  and  Herodians  Assail  Jesus — 
Their  Hypocrisy  Unveiled — Prophecy  Concerning  the 
Destruction  of  Jerusalem 121 

CHAPTER  IX. 

The  Book  of  Revelation — Letters  to  the  Seven  Churches — 
The  Book  Sealed  with  Seven  Seals— Sealing  of  the  Saints 
— The  Seven  Trumpets 160 

CHAPTER  X. 

The  Angel  with  the  Little  Book— The  Temple  and  Altar 
Measured — The  Two  Witnesses — The  Third  Woe 207 

CHAPTER  XL 

The  Second  Great  Persecuting  Power,  Pagan  Rome — The 
Messiah  Born — The  Dragon — The  Beast  from  the  Sea — 
The  Beast  from  the  Earth — The  Lamb  on  Mount  Sion — 
The  Fall  of  Babylon,  or  Rome 223 

CHAPTER  XII. 

The  Seven  Golden  Vials — Unclean  Spirits  Like  Frogs — 
Preparations  for  the  Great  Battle — Judgment  of  the  Great 
Whore,  and  Who  She  Is— The  Joy  Over  the  Fall  of  Bab- 
ylon— The  King  of  Kings  and  His  Armies — The  Fowls 
Summoned  to  the  Great  Supper — The  Beast  and  the  False 
Prophet  Cast  into  the  Lake  of  Fire — The  Dragon  Cast 
Into  tke  Pit — The  Millennium — The  Judgment-day 249 


Contents.  n 

CHAPTER  XIII.  PAGE 

The  New  Heaven  and  the  New  Earth — The  New  Jerusalem 
The  General  Invitation 292 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Folly  of  Modern  Adventism — Christ  to  Remain  in 
Heaven  to  the  Judgment — Mistakes  of  Modern  Advent- 
ists 313 


THE  KINGDOM  AND  COMINGS  OF  CHRIST. 


CHAPTER  I. 

First  Coming  of  Christ  to  Set  Up  a  Kingdom — Second  Coming 
to  Judge  the  Jews — Four  Parallel  Visions  of  Daniel — Nebu- 
chadnezzar's Dream. 

THE  coming  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  flesh  is  one 
of  the  great  events  in  the  history  of  our  race. 
Then  he,  as  Christ  the  anointed  King,  was  to  set  up 
a  kingdom.  John  the  Baptist  began  preaching, 
"Repent  ye,  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at 
hand;"  and  Jesus  uses  the  same  language.  Mat- 
thew says :  "  From  that  time  Jesus  began  to  preach, 
and  to  say,  Repent:  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is 
at  hand."  Mark  says:  "  Jesus  came  into  Galilee, 
preaching  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  and 
saying,  The  time  is  fulfilled,  and  the  kingdom  of 
God  is  at  hand."  In  Luke  we  find  this  language: 
"And  he  said  unto  them,  I  must  preach  the  king- 
dom of  God  to  other  cities  afco." 

He  came,  then,  to  set  up  a  kingdom.  As  he  had 
committed  the  work  of  his  Church  to  the  hands  of 
the  Jews,  they  were  looking  forward  to  this  coming 
with  the  deepest  interest;  and  God,  from  time  to 
time,  revealed  facts  in  connection  with  it.  Nearly 
all  the  prophets  spoke  more  or  less  of  it.  But  to 
Daniel  especially  are  we  indebted  for  the  terms  so 

(13) 


14        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

freely  used  by  the  evangelists:  the  "kingdom  of 
heaven,"  "the  kingdom  of  God." 

There  was  another  coming  of  Christ  in  which 
the  Jews  were  specially  interested.  They  were  to 
prove  themselves  unworthy  of  the  trust  God  had 
committed  to  their  hands;  and  shortly  after  the 
ascension  of  Christ  he  was  to  come  in  judgment 
upon  them,  destroy  their  city  and  nation,  take  from 
them  the  Church  and  its  work  and  give  it  to  others, 
who,  as  he  expresses  it,  should  "bring  forth  the 
fruit  thereof." 

These  two  comings  of  Christ  are  predicted  faith- 
fully and  explicitly  in  Daniel.  Some  portions 
of  these  predictions  have  been  misapplied  and 
wrenched  out  of  their  meaning.  We  therefore 
desire  to  present  these  prophecies  in  their  order 
with  their  meaning. 

In  the  prophecy  of  Daniel  we  have  four  great 
parallel  visions,  all  bearing  on  the  same  subject, 
all  embracing  the  same  facts  and  personages.  The 
first  of  these  visions  is  brought  out  in  the  dream  of 
Nebuchadnezzar,  as  found  in  the  second  chapter. 
There  the  great  empires  and  nations  immediately 
preceding  the  "kingdom  of  God"  are  brought  to 
view.  The  second  is  found  in  the  seventh  chapter, 
where  symbols  are  used  to  represent  these  same 
empires  and  nations,  with  an  addition  of  a  king, 
who  was  to  "make  war  writh  the  saints,  and  prevail 
against  them."  The  third  is  in  the  eighth  chapter, 
where  the  explanation  is  a  little  more  full  and  ex- 
plicit. 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.        15 

And  the  fourth  is  in  the  tenth,  eleventh,  and 
twelfth  chapters,  where,  toward  the  latter  part,  all 
symbols  are  dropped  and  a  full  explanation  of  them 
is  given  in  plain  language. 

Bearing  these  things  in  mind,  we  will  now  pro- 
ceed to  give  these  several  parallel  visions  in  their 
order,  and  try  to  show  their  meaning.  Without 
burdening  the  reader  with  the  preliminaries  which 
lead  to  this  dream,  we  give  it  at  once: 

* '  Thou,  O  king,  sawest,  and  behold  a  great  image. 
This  great  image,  whose  brightness  was  excellent, 
stood  before  thee;  and  the  form  thereof  was  ter- 
rible. This  image's  head  was  of  fine  gold,  his 
breast  and  his  arms  of  silver,  his  belly  and  his 
thighs  of  brass,  his  legs  of  iron,  his  feet  part  of 
iron  and  part  of  clay.  Thou  sawest  till  that  a 
stone  was  cut  out  without  hands,  which  smote  the 
image  upon  his  feet  that  were  of  iron  and  clay,  and 
brake  them  to  pieces.  Then  was  the  iron,  the 
clay,  the  brass,  the  silver,  and  the  gold,  broken  to 
pieces  together,  and  became  like  the  chaff  of  the 
summer  threshing-floors;  and  the  wind  carried 
them  away,  that  no  place  was  found  for  them :  and 
the  stone  that  smote  the  image  became  a  great 
mountain,  and  filled  the  whole  earth." 

Daniel  tells  King  Nebuchadnezzar:  "Thou  art 
this  head  of  gold.  And  after  thee  shall  arise 
another  kingdom  inferior  to  thee,  and  another 

O  ' 

third  kingdom  of  brass,  which  shall  bear  rule  over 
all  the  earth.  And  the  fourth  kingdom  shall  be 
strong  as  iron:  forasmuch  as  iron  breaketh  in 


16        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

pieces  and  subdueth  all  things:  and  as  iron  that 
breaketh  all  these,  shall  it  break  in  pieces  and 
bruise.  And  whereas  thou  sawest  the  feet  and 
toes,  part  of  potter's  clay,  and  part  of  iron,  the 
kingdom  shall  be  divided ;  but  there  shall  be  in  it 
of  the  strength  of  iron,  forasmuch  as  thou  sawest 
the  iron  -mixed  with  the  miry  clay.  And  as  the 
toes  of  the  feet  were  part  of  iron  and  part  of  clay, 
so  the  kingdom  shall  be  partly  strong  and  partly 
broken.  And  whereas  thou  sawest  iron  mixed 
with  miry  clay,  they  shall  mingle  themselves  with 
the  seed  of  men:  but  they  shall  not  cleave  one 
to  another,  even  as  iron  is  not  mixed  with  clay. 
And  in  the  days  of  these  kings  shall  the  God  of 
heaven  set  up  a  kingdom,  which  shall  never  be  de- 
stroyed: and  the  kingdom  shall  not  be  left  to 
other  people,  but  it  shall  break  in  pieces  and  con»- 
sume  all  these  kingdoms,  and  it  shall  stand  for- 
ever. Forasmuch  as  thou  sawest  that  the  stone 
was  cut  out  of  the  mountain  without  hands,  and 
that  it  brake  in  pieces  the  iron,  the  brass,  the  clay, 
the  silver,  and  the  gold ;  the  great  God  hath  made 
known  to  the  king  what  shall  come  to  pass  here- 
after: and  the  dream  is  certain,  and  the  interpre- 
tation thereof  sure." 

These  kingdoms  were:  First,  the  Chaldean, 
then  in  existence  and  in  the  height  of  its  glory; 
second,  the  Medo-Persian,  represented  by  the  sil- 
ver; third,  the  Grecian,  whose  sole  representative 
was  Alexander.  For,  as  we  shall  see,  Daniel 
makes  no  account  of  his  father,  Philip,  or  of  that 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.        17 

portion  of  the  Grecian  empire  found  in  Europe. 
He  deals  only  with  that  part  which  comes  in  con- 
tact with  his  people  and  affects  the  kingdom  of 
Jesus  Christ,  as  seen  in  this  vision.  The  image 
seen  in  this  dream  is  a  compact,  consistent  image, 
occupying  the  same  ground,  and  composed  of  the 
same  people,  as  we  shall  see  in  our  further  investi- 
gations. The  Grecians,  under  Alexander,  over- 
threw the  Medo-Persian  empire.  The  fourth  was 
that  which  immediately  succeeded  the  Grecian 
empire  in  Asia — the  field  on  which  the  others  had 
existed. 

Alexander  died  in  Babylon  in  the  height  of  his 
glory,  leaving  no  definite  instructions  as  to  his  suc- 
cessor. It  is  said  that  upon  being  asked  to  whom 
he  bequeathed  his  empire  he  replied,  "To  the 
strongest,"  or,  as  otherwise  reported,  "To  the 
worthiest,"  adding  the  very  natural  prediction  that 
he  foresaw  a  bloody  competition  at  his  funeral 
games.  He  left  no  born  legitimate  offspring,  but 
his  wife,  Roxana,  was  at  the  time  of  his  death 
about  to  become  a  mother.  Both  she  and  the 
child  .to  whom  she  gave  birth  fell  victims  to  the 
jealousy  of  one  of  the  competitors  for  his  throne. 
After  a  struggle  of  more  than  twenty  years  between 
contending  parties,  his  vast  dominions  were  divid- 
ed into  four  great  kingdoms  by  four  of  his  princi- 
pal generals.  Cassander  took  Macedon,  with  part 
of  Greece;  Lysimachus  established  himself  upon 
the  throne  of  Thrace ;  Seleucus  became  master  of 
Syria  and  nearly  all  the  countries  which  had  com- 
2 


1 8        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

posed  the  Persian  monarchy,  founding  the  dynasty 
of  the  Seleucidas;  and  Ptolemy  became  King  of 
Egypt,  commencing  the  line  of  the  Ptolemies. 

Now  the  portion  with  which  the  Jews  came 
specially  in  contact  were  the  Syrian  kingdom  and 
the  Egyptian.  In  point  of  time  these  two  king- 
doms fill  the  two  or  three  centuries  immediately 
following  the  death  of  Alexander,  B.C.  323.  This 
divided  state  of  the  image  is  represented  by  the 
iron  and  clay  mixed.  There  was  the  strength  of 
iron  in  some  parts  of  it,  and  the  weakness  of  clay 
in  others.  During  the  existence  of  these  kingdoms, 
or,  as  Daniel  expresses  it,  "  in  the  days  of  these 
kings  shall  the  God  of  heaven  set  up  a  kingdom, 
which  shall  never  be  destroyed,"  and  this  is  the 
fifth  kingdom.  Four  of  these  kingdoms  are  earth- 
ly, one  is  heavenly. 

We  have  this  to  guide  us  in  this  view  of  this  vis- 
ion. A  clear  beginning,  a  distinct  end,  and  all  the 
rest  must  lie  within  these  extremes.  The  begin- 
ning is  Nebuchadnezzar  as  representing  the  Chal- 
dean kingdom ;  the  end  is  Jesus  Christ,  represent- 
ing the  kingdom  of  heaven  as  set  up  by  him  in 
person  during  his  incarnation. 

The  feet  of  this  image  have  been  placed  by 
many  interpreters  of  this  prophecy  from  seven 
hundred  to  a  thousand  years  after  Christ.  Rome 
has  been  looked  upon  as  the  iron  kingdom.  But 
mark  you  this  does  not  fit  Rome,  but  does  fit  the 
divided  kingdom  of  Alexander  in  every  particular 
— time,  place,  and  policy.  God  was  revealing  to 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       19 

Daniel  what  should  befall  his  people  "  in  the  latter 
days"  all  along  down  to  the  coming  of  their  Mes- 
siah. "These  prophecies  touch  the  political  his- 
tory of  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  only  because 
these  particular  kingdoms  sustained  very  special 
relations  to  the  great  kingdom  that  is  not  of  this 
world,  which  lay  in  embryo  in  the  Jewish  state,  yet 
nursed  and  guarded  there  under  the  perfect  eye  of 
God  till  the  time  was  fulfilled  and  the  kingdom  of 
God  truly  come — i.  e.,  came  forth  visibly  before 
all  the  world." 

Daniel  did  not  aim  to  teach  universal  history,  or 
to  point  out  the  course  of  empires  for  their  sakes ; 
but  he  held  to  the  fixed  purpose  of  dealing  only 
w7ith  those  nations  that  affected  his  people,  and  had 
their  bearing  on  the  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Neither  pagan  nor  papal  Rome  has  any  place 
whatever  in  these  prophecies. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Vision  of  the  Four  Beasts— The  Ten  Kings— The  Little  Horn 
Antiochus  Epiphanes — The  Ancient  of  Days — Christ's  King- 
dom— An  Angel  Explains  the  Vision. 

DANIEL  retained  his  high  position  during  the 
rest  of  the  reign  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  and  was 
continued  in  office  throughout  the  reign  of  Darius 
and  into  the  reign  of  Cyrus.  His  last  recorded  vis- 
ion was  in  the  third  year  of  the  reign  of  Cyrus. 
This  vision  is  found  in  the  seventh  chapter  of  his 
prophecy.  He  says:  '"  I  saw  in  my  vision  by  night, 
and,  behold,  the  four  winds  of  the  heaven  strove 
upon  the  great  sea.  And  four  great  beasts  came 
up  from  the  sea,  diverse  one  from  another."  These 
beasts  did  not  come  up  all  at  once,  but  in  succession. 
They  symbolized  different  kingdoms.  "  The  first 
was  like  a  lion,  and  had  eagle's  wings;  I  beheld 
till  the  wings  thereof  were  plucked,  and  it  was 
lifted  up  from  the  earth,  and  made  stand  upon 
the  feet  as  a  man,  and  a  man's  heart  was  given 
to  it." 

There  is  no  diversity  of  opinion,  we  believe,  as 
to  what  this  beast  symbolizes.  It  is  thoroughly 
Chaldean  in  every  respect.  Winged  lions,  winged 
bulls,  and  even  winged  men  have  been  exhumed  by 
the  indefatigable  Layard  in  his  researches  amid  the 
ruins  of  Nineveh, 

While  Daniel  is  looking  at  this  powerful  beast 
(20) 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       21 

a  change  comes  over  it.  Its  wings  are  plucked; 
it  is  lifted  from  all  fours  and  made  to  stand  like  a 
man,  and  a  man's  heart  is  given  it,  an  evidence  of 
its  waning  strength.  Daniel  had  been  connected 
with  this  empire  in  the  days  of  its  lion-like  power. 
He  now  saw  it  waning  to  its  fall,  plucked  of  its 
swift  moving-armies,  and  despoiled  of  its  lion-like 
strength.  And  here  we  see  the  first  point  of  par- 
allel between  this  vision  and  Nebuchadnezzar's 
dream  as  interpreted  by  Daniel. 

The  beasts  came  in  succession:  "And  behold 
another  beast,  a  second,  like  to  a  bear,  and  it  raised 
up  itself  on  one  side,  and  it  had  three  ribs  in  the 
mouth  of  it  between  the  teeth  of  it:  and  they  said 
thus  unto  it,  Arise,  devour  much  flesh." 

This  was  the  Medo-Persian  empire,  and  answers 
well  to  its  character  and  movements.  The  side  on 
which  it  raised  up  itself  was  Chaldea.  This  pow- 
er, when  it  began  to  assume  strength  as  a  nation, 
made  its  first  grand  movement  against  Chaldea. 
The  capture  of  Babylon  by  Cyrus  is  predicted  in 
Isaiah  (chapter  xlv.),  and  is  a  well-known  fact  in 
history.  The  lion  went  down  under  the  bear. 
The  "three  ribs  in  its  mouth"  may  refer  to  the 
destruction  of  other  nations,  not  now  clearly 
known  for  want  of  an  accurate  history  of  this 
period.  It  and  the  "devouring  of  much  flesh" 
denotes  the  subjugation  of  other  nationalities,  and 
the  absorbing  them  into  its  own. 

"After  this  I  beheld,  and  lo  another,  like  a 
leopard,  which  had  upon  the  back  of  it  four  wings 


or 


22        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

of  a  fowl;  the  beast  had  also  four  heads;  and  do- 
minion was  given  to  it." 

This  was  the  Grecian  empire  of  Alexander. 
Perhaps  no  conqueror  ever  moved  his  armies  with 
more  celerity,  nor  won  conquests  more  rapidly 
than  did  he.  Hence  he  is  symbolized  by  one  of 
the  most  lithe  and  active  of  ravenous  beasts,  the 
leopard;  and  wings  are  added,  an  additional  em- 
blem of  his  swiftness.  "  Dominion  given  him" 
indicates  his  success  in  enlarging  his  empire.  In 
the  parallel  vision  (chapter  ii.  39)  the  record 
is:  "Another  third  kingdom  of  brass,  which  shall 
bear  rule  over  all  the  earth."  The  "  four  heads  " 
may  or  may  not  refer  to  the  four  successors  of 
Alexander  that  precede  the  "little  horn"  king. 
Some  think  it  refers  to  the  intellectuality  of  the 
Grecians.  We  incline  to  the  former  opinion  as 
more  natural,  and  as  coming  in  its  proper  place. 

"After  this  I  saw  in  the  night  visions,  and  be- 
hold a  fourth  beast,  dreadful  and  terrible,  and 
strong  exceedingly;  and  it  had  great  iron  teeth:  it 
devoured  and  brake  in  pieces,  and  stamped  the 
residue  with  the  feet  of  it:  and  it  was  diverse  from 
all  the  beasts  that  were  before  it;  and  it  had  ten 
horns.  I  considered  the  horns,  and,  behold,  there 
came  up  among  them  another  little  horn,  before 
whom  there  were  three  of  the  first  horns  plucked 
up  by  the  roots:  and,  behold,  in  this  horn  were 
eyes  like  the  eyes  of  man,  and  a  mouth  speaking 
great  things." 

This  fourth  kingdom  is  that  which  immediately 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       23 

followed  the  Grecian,  existing  first  under  Alexan- 
der's four  generals,  then  under  ten  kings,  and  final- 
ly under  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  who  is  symbolized 
by  the  ''little  horn."     But  let  us  look  to  the  de- 
velopment of  this  kingdom  as  seen  in  this  vision. 
The  history  of  this  kingdom  is  symbolized  in  this 
beast.     It  was  "  dreadful  and  terrible,"  especially 
to  the  Jews,  Daniel's  people.     Never  in  their  his- 
tory did  they  pass  through  such  dreadful  scenes, 
and  were  encompassed  by  such  terrors,  as  we  shall 
see  in  the  further  development  of  this  prophecy. 
It  was  "strong  exceedingly,  and  it  had  great  iron 
teeth."     The  Jews  had  no  power  to  resist  the  ar- 
mies brought  against  them,  and  they  were  crushed 
in  the  jaws  of  this  monster  as  between  great  teeth 
of  iron.   .'**  It  devoured  and  brake  in  pieces,  and 
stamped  the  residue  with  the  feet  of  it."     Anti- 
ochus Epiphanes  robbed  them  of  their  treasure, 
despoiled  their  temple,  stamped  upon  their  most 
sacred  rites,  hurled  their  beloved  priests  from  their 
places,  and  defied  God  and  man.     "  It  was  diverse 
from  all  the  beasts  that  were  before  it."    All  other 
conquerors  had,  if  they  did  not  respect  the  religion 
of  the  Jews,  at  least  left  them  in  the  enjoyment  of 
it.     Not  so  this.     Every  appliance  of  power  was 
brought  to  bear  to  break  up  the  customs  of  the  na- 
tion and  introduce  the  worship  of  strange  gods. 
"And  it  had  ten  horns."     Now  where  and  when 
are  we  naturally  to  look  for  these  ten  horns.    Sure- 
ly not  in  Europe;   surely  not  hundreds  of  years 
after  the  coming  of  Christ  in  the  flesh — but  right 


24        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

here  on  the  ground  occupied  by  their  kingdom, 
and  during  its  existence.  They  must  exist  between 
the  death  of  Alexander  and  the  rise  of  Antiochus 
Epiphanes,  and  we  hold  that  they  must  have  some 
relationship  to  the  Jews.  And  here  we  see  no  dif- 
ficulty, inasmuch  as  Daniel  himself  (chapter  xi. 
5-27),  in  the  last  of  the  four  great  parallel  visions, 
has  pointed  them  out  so  clearly  that  nearly  all 
commentators  agree  in  naming  them.  But  best  of 
all  the  revealing  spirit  in  this  eleventh  chapter  has 
mapped  out  the  movement  of  the  powers  of  this 
period  so  distinctly  that  we  can  without  difficulty 
find  in  the  track  of  their  contending  armies  all  ten 
of  these  kings. 

Of  the  four  kingdoms  into  which  the  great  Gre- 
cian empire  was  dissolved,  two — Syria  and  Egypt 
— affect  the  Jewish  nation  especially.  Five  of  these 
kings  are  from  the  North,  or  Syria;  and  five  from 
the  South,  or  Egypt.  The  five  from  the  Greek- 
Syrian  dynasty  are:  i.  Seleucus  Nicator.  2.  An- 
tiochus Theos.  3.  Seleucus  Callinicus.  4.  Anti- 
ochus the  Great.  5.  Seleucus  Philopator.  The 
five  from  the  Grasco-Egyptian  dynasty  are:  i. 
Ptolemy  Lagus.  2.  Ptolemy  Philadelphus.  3. 
Ptolemy  Euergetes.  4.  Ptolemy  Philopator.  5. 
Ptolemy  Philometer. 

These  were  not  kings  of  separate  and  distinct 
kingdoms,  into  which  the  one  great  kingdom  was 
divided,  but  five  of  them  in  succession  sat  on  the 
throne  of  Syria,  and  five  on  the  throne  of  Egypt. 
And,  mark  you,  only  those  who  came  in  special 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       25 

contact  with  the  Jews  are  reckoned.  For  instance, 
there  was  Ptolemy  Epiphanes,  who  was  put  upon 
the  throne  of  Egypt  at  the  age  of  five  years,  and 
whose  history  amounts  to  nothing.  Then  there 
were  two  that  reigned  in  the  Syrian  throne,  covering 
a  period  of  thirty-two  years,  that  are  intentionally 
omitted;  but  the  revealing  spirit  points  this  fact 
out  in  chapter  xi.  6,  by  saying:  "  In  the  end  of 
years,"  etc.  Thus  this  hiatus  is  indicated  that 
there  may  be  no  mistake. 

"I  considered  the  horns,  and,  behold,  there 
came  up  among  them  another  little  horn,  before 
whom  there  were  three  of  the  first  horns  plucked 
up  by  the  roots:  and,  behold,  in  this  horn  were 
eyes  like  the  eyes  of  man,  and  a  mouth  speaking 
great  things." 

This  "little  horn  "  was  Antiochus  Epiphanes, 
every  feature  of  the  symbol  answering  to  him. 
Three  of  the  first  horns  were  plucked  up  by  the 
roots.  He  was  the  son  of  Antiochus  the  Great; 
his  elder  brother  was  Seleucus  Philopator;  and 
while  there  is  a  conflict  among  historians  as  to  the 
cause  of  the  death  of  these  two,  one  on  the  throne 
and  the  other  next  entitled  to  it,  yet  it  is  asserted 
that  Antiochus  effected  the  death  both  of  his  father 
and  his  brother,  thus  "  plucking  up  by  the  roots  " 
these  two  horns  that  stood  in  his  way  to  the  throne. 
One  of  his  first  acts  on  coming  to  the  throne  was 
to  turn  his  attention  to  the  possession  of  Egypt, 
which  was  then  enjoyed  by  Ptolemy  Philometor,  his 
nephew,  son  to  his  sister  Cleopatra,  whom  Anti- 


26        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

ochus  the  Great  had  married  to  Ptolemy  Epiphanes, 
King  of  Egypt.  He  subdued  this  kingdom,  thus 
"plucking  up  another  horn  that  stood  in  his  way." 
In  this  horn  were  eyes  like  the  eyes  of  a  man,  in- 
dicating the  keen  intelligence  and  far-seeing  policy 
that  characterized  his  every  movement,  "and  a 
mouth  speaking  great  things."  His  command  was 
to  change  the  religion  of  every  nation  subdued  by 
him.  On  this  point  he  was  inexorable,  as  we  shall 
see  in  the  subsequent  visions. 

"I  beheld  till  the  thrones  were  cast  down  and  the 
Ancient  of  days  did  sit,  whose  garment  was  white 
as  snow,  and  the  hair  of  his  head  like  the  pure 
wool:  his  throne  was  like  the  fiery  flame,  and  his 
wheels  as  burning  fire.  A  fiery  stream  issued  and 
came  forth  from  before  him ;  thousand  thousands 
ministered  unto  him,  and  ten  thousand  times  ten 
thousand  stood  before  him;  the  judgment  was  set, 
and  the  books  were  opened.  I  beheld  then,  be- 
cause of  the  voice  of  the  great  words  which  the 
horn  spake :  I  beheld  even  till  the  beast  was  slain 
and  his  body  destroyed  and  given  to  the  burning 
flame." 

This  refers  not  to  the  great  judgment-day;  but 
it,  like  the  other,  is  symbolic  language  to  express 
the  providential  judgment  in  time  for  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  fourth  beast  and  his  horns.  Nations, 
as  such,  can  only  be.  judged  in  this  life,  or  in  time. 
We  find  that  the  final  outcome  of  this  judgment  is 
in  the  fourth  beast.  This  fixes  it  unmistakably  to 
the  period  of  which  the  prophet  writes:  "I  beheld 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       27 

till  the  thrones  were  cast  down  and  the  Ancient  of 
days  did  sit."  "Cast  down"  here  does  not  mean 
overthrown  or  demolished,  but  it  means  firmly  set. 
God  is  about  to  sit  in  judgment  upon  a  guilty  na- 
tion, and  he  plants  his  throne  and  seats  himself 
("the  Ancient  of  days")  upon  it.  The  destruc- 
tion of  this  nation  must  be  done  in  righteousness 
after  careful  judicial '  inquiry  into  the  crimes  for 
which  it  is  to  suffer.  Isaiah  speaks  of  a  time  when 
he  "saw  the  Lord  sitting  upon  a  throne,  high  and 
lifted  up."  And  this  was  preparatory  to  judging 
his  people.  He  had  come  unto  his  own,  and  his 
own  received  him  not,  and  John  says:  "But 
though  he  had  done  so  many  miracles  before  them, 
yet  they  believed  not  on  him:  that  the  saying  of 
Esaias  the  prophet  might  be  fulfilled,  which  he 
spake,  Lord,  who  hath  believed  our  report?  and 
to  whom  hath  the  arm  of  the  Lord  been  revealed? 
Therefore  they  could  not  believe,  because  that 
Esaias  said  again,  He  hath  blinded  their  eyes,  and 
hardened  their  heart;  that  they  should  not  see  with 
their  eyes,  nor  understand  with  their  heart,  and  be 
converted,  and  I  should  heal  them.  These  things 
said  Esaias,  when  he  saw  his  glory,  and  spake  of 
him."  Here  the  Lord  was  "upon his  throne,"  that 
he  might  providentially  judge  his  people  when  he 
took  the  kingdom  from  them  and  gave  it  to  a  na- 
tion bringing  forth  fruits  of  righteousness.  Again 
Micaiah  (i  Kings xxii.  19)  says:  "  I  saw  the  Lord 
sitting  on  his  throne,  and  all  the  host  of  heaven 
standing  by  him  on  his  right  hand  and  on  his  left." 


28       The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

Ahab  had  filled  up  the  cup  of  his  iniquity,  and  was 
to  be  led  to  Ramoth-gilead  to  be  slain,  and  God 
sits  to  judge  him  and  prove  the  righteousness  of  the 
penalty  inflicted. 

"Whose  garment  was  white  as  snow,"  a  sym- 
bol of  the  purity  of  his  character.  He  could  not 
do  wrong.  "  The  hair  of  his  head  like  the  pure 
wool."  Age  is  venerable.  "The  hoary  head  is 
a  crown  of  glory  if  it  be  found  in  the  way  of  right- 
eousness." "  His  throne  was  like  the  fiery  flame, 
and  his  wheels  as  burning  fire."  See  a  similar 
representation  of  God's  throne  as  seen  by  Ezekiel 
in  the  first  chapter  of  his  prophecy.  God  moves 
to  fiery  judgments.  His  knowledge  is  not  confined 
to  a  single  spot;  as  a  flash  of  lightning  his  messen- 
gers, that  bear  up  the  sapphire  pavement  upon 
which  rests  his  throne,  go  wherever  the  Spirit  bids. 
"A  fiery  stream  issued  and  came  forth  from  before 
him."  His  judgments  are  to  be  destructive: 
"Upon  the  wicked  he  will  rain  fire  and  brimstone, 
and  a  horrible  tempest."  It  was  with  fire  that  he 
destroyed  the  guilty  cities  of  the  plain. 

"Thousand  thousands  ministered,  etc."  His 
resources  are  illimitable;  his  attendants  number- 
less. "  The  judgment  was  set,  and  the  books  were 
opened."  No  arbitrary  proceeding;  every  thing 
done  must  be  done  for  cause.  A  record  has  been 
kept,  and  now  it  is  revealed  to  satisfy  the  world  that 
all  is  done  in  justice. 

"I  beheld  then  because  of  the  voice  of  the  great 
words  which  the  horn  spake:  I  beheld  even  till 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       29 

the  beast  was  slain,  and  his  body  destroyed,  and 
given  to  the  burning  flame." 

Hear  the  blasphemy  of  Antiochus  Epiphanes, 
in  which  he  speaks  against  the  Most  High,  and 
proposes  to  change  the  religion  of  the  Jews,  rank- 
ing it  on  a  par  with  the  idolatrous  worship  of  hea- 
then nations.  These  are  the  sins  for  which  he  and 
his  kingdom  are  to  be  destroyed  by  this  righteous 
Judge.  If  the  awful  scenes  described  in  these 
three  verses  (9,  10,  n)  referred  to  the  final  judg- 
ment of  the  world,  then  that  judgment  precedes  the 
first  advent  or  coming  of  Christ  instead  of  follow- 
ing his  second  advent,  as  we  are  taught  in  the  New 
Testament.  But  they  are  scenes  that  transpired 
when  the  judgments  of  God  fell  upon  this  last  of 
the  four  great  kingdoms,  with  their  last  and  blas- 
phemous king,  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  and  when 
the  God  of  heaven  sets  up  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ. 

"As  concerning  the  rest  of  the  beasts,  they  had 
their  dominion  taken  away:  yet  their  lives  were 
prolonged  for  a  season  and  time." 

"  The  rest  of  the  beasts  " — the  first  three.  The 
judgments  of  God  do  not  fall  upon  them  so  sud- 
denly nor  so  terribly  as  they  fall  upon  this  fourth 
kingdom.  These  three,  and  their  slower  destruc- 
tion, is  contrasted  with  the  swift  and  awful  doom 
that  falls  on  this  fourth  one. 

"  I  saw  in  the  night  visions,  and,  behold,  one 
like  the  Son  of  man  came  with  the  clouds  of 
heaven,  and  came  to  the  Ancient  of  days,  and  they 


30        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

brought  him  near  before  him.  And  there  was 
given  him  dominion,  and  glory,  and  a  kingdom, 
that  all  people,  nations,  and  languages,  should 
serve  him:  his  dominion  is  an  everlasting  domin- 
ion, which  shall  not  pass  away,  and  his  kingdom 
that  which  shall  not  be  destroyed." 

This  passage  graphically  describes  the  setting 
up  of  the  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ  at  his  ascension. 
This  is  precisely  the  same  event  described  in  the 
first  vision  (chapter  ii.  44):  "And  in  the  days  of 
these  kings  shall  the  God  of  heaven  set  up  a  king- 
dom, which  shall  never  be  destroyed :  and  the  king- 
dom shall  not  be  left  to  other  people,  but  it  shall 
break  in  pieces,  and  consume  all  these  kingdoms, 
and  it  shall  stand  forever."  After  the  ascension  of 
Christ  the  apostles  with  one  voice  testified  to  the 
fact  that  God  had  made  him  "both  Lord  and 
Christ."  Hear  them  on  the  day  of  Pentecost 
when  the  Holy  Ghost  revealed  the  fact:  "This 
Jesus  hath  God  raised  up,  whereof  we  all  are  wit- 
nesses. Therefore  being  by  the  right  hand  of  God 
exalted."  And  again:  "Let  all  the  house  of  Is- 
rael know  assuredly  that  God  hath  made  that  same 
Jesus,  whom  ye  have  crucified,  both  Lord  and 
Christ." 

"  Him  hath  God  exalted  with  his  right  hand  to 
be  a  Prince  and  a  Saviour."  Peter,  at  the  house 
of  Cornelius,  when  opening  his  commission  to  the 
Gentiles,  said:  "He  is  Lord  of  all." 

Paul  says  (Eph.  i.  20-22):  "When  he  raised 
him  from  the  dead,  and  set  him  at  his  own  right 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.        31 

hand  in  the  heavenly  places,  far  above  all  princi- 
pality, and  power,  and  might,  and  dominion,  and 
every  name  that  is  named,  not  only  in  this  world, 
but  also  in  that  which  is  to  come :  and  hath  put  all 
things  under  his  feet,  and  gave  him  to  be  the  head 
over  all  things  to  the  Church,"  etc.  And  Peter 
says  (i  Pet.  iii.  22):  "Who  is  gone  into  heaven, 
and  is  on  the  right  hand  of  God ;  angels  and  au- 
thorities and  powers  being  made  subject  unto 
him."  We  might  fill  pages  with  such  quotations, 
but  these  are  enough. 

The  disciples  followed  their  Lord  out  to  Olivet, 
and  when  they  asked  him,  "  Wilt  thou  at  this  time 
restore  the  kingdom  to  Israel?"  he  replied:  "It 
is  not  for  you  to  know  the  times,  or  the  seasons, 
which  the  Father  hath  put  in  his  own  power.  But 
ye  shall  receive  power,  after  that  the  Holy  Ghost 
is  come  upon  you,"  etc.  He  bestowed  his  bless- 
ing upon  them,  and  then  "was  taken  up;  and' a 
cloud  received  him  out  of  their  sight."  They  saw 
him  enter  the  cloud,  and  saw  no  more.  But  Dan- 
iel, in  a  vision,  witnessed  the  full  scene.  He  saw 
him  "come  with  the  clouds  of  heaven  to  the  An- 
cient of  days,"  and  saw  the  dominion  and  glory 
spoken  of  by  Paul  and  Peter  given  him.  It  was  a 
grand  sight — this  inauguration  of  the  Son  of  man. 
Now  for  the  first  time,  as  God-man,  is  he  crowned 
Lord  of  all.  Because  of  his  entering  the  flesh  and 
suffering  the  death  of  the  cross  "God  highly  ex- 
alted him,  and  gave  him  a  name  above  every  name : 
that  at  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should  bow, 


32        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

of  things  in  heaven,  and  things  in  earth,  and  things 
under  the  earth ;  and  that  every  tongue  should  con- 
fess that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God 
the  Father."  He  was  to  enter  upon  that  reign  and 
conquest  that  should  continue  until  all  the  kingdoms 
of  earth  "should  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord 
and  of  his  Christ;  and  he  shall  reign  forever  and 
ever. 

"I  Daniel  was  grieved  in  my  spirit  in  the  midst 
of  my  body,  and  the  visions  of  my  head  troubled 
me.  I  came  near  unto  one  of  them  that  stood  by, 
and  asked  him  the  truth  of  all  this.  So  he  told  me, 
and  made  me  know  the  interpretation  of  the 
things." 

He  wanted  an  explanation  of  the  symbols  and 
wonders  he  had  seen,  and  he  seeks  light  from 
"one  that  stood  by,"  and  he  graciously  explains: 
"These  great  beasts,  which  are  four,  are  four 
kings,  which  shall  arise  out  of  the  earth.  But  the 
saints  of  the  Most  High  shall  take  the  kingdom, 
and  possess  the  kingdom  forever,  even  forever  and 
ever." 

This  explanation  of  the  angel  does  not  fully  sat- 
isfy Daniel,  for  we  find  him  saying  immediately: 
"  Then  I  would  know  the  truth  of  the  fourth  beast, 
which  was  diverse  from  all  the  others,  exceeding 
dreadful,  whose  teeth  were  of  iron,  and  his  nails 
of  brass;  which  devoured,  brake  in  pieces,  and 
stamped  the  residue  with  his  feet;  and  of  the  ten 
horns  that  were  in  his  head,  and  of  the  other  which 
came  up,  and  before  whom  three  fell;  even  of  that 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.        33 

horn  that  had  eyes,  and  a  mouth  that  spake  very 
great  things,  whose  look  was  more  stout  than  his 
fellows.  I  beheld,  and  the  same  horn  made  war 
with  the  saints,  and  prevailed  against  them;  until 
the  Ancient  of  days  came,  .  .  .  and  the  time 
came  that  the  saints  possessed  the  kingdom." 

He  seems  to  be  satisfied  with  the  knowledge  he 
has  of  the  first  three.  But  the  fourth  troubles  him, 
and  he  would  know  all  about  him,  and  he  points 
out  the  things  he  would  know  of  the  angel.  Dan- 
iel saw  the  consecutive  order  of  the  events  unfold- 
ed in  his  vision.  He  saw  the  persecutions  of  the 
saints  by  this  "little  horn"  until  the  Ancient  of 
days  took  from  him  the  kingdom  and  gave  it  to  the 
saints.  This  gift  follows  immediately  upon  the 
overthrow  of  this  "  little  horn,"  and  not  hundreds 
of  years  after,  as  must  be  the  case  if  this  "  little 
horn"  be  papal  Rome.  The  evidence  in  favor 
of  Antiochus  Epiphanes  being  this  "  little  horn" 
will  accumulate  as  we  advance  in  this  investiga- 
tion; and  if  it  be  Antiochus,  it  cannot  be  papal 
Rome,  and  all  theories  based  upon  this  fact  must 
fall  to  the  ground. 

"Thus  he  said,  The  fourth  beast  shall  be  the 
fourth  kingdom  upon  earth,  which  shall  be  diverse 
from  all  kingdoms,  and  shall  devour  the  whole 
earth,  and  shall  tread  it  down,  and  break  it  in 
pieces.  And  the  ten  horns  out  of  this  kingdom 
are  ten  kings  that  shall  arise:  and  another  shall 
rise  after  them ;  and  he  shall  be  diverse  from  the 
first,  and  he  shall  subdue  three  kings.  And  he 
3 


34        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

shall  speak  great  words  against  the  Most  High,  and 
shall  wear  out  the  saints  of  the  Most  High,  and 
think  to  change  times  and  laws :  and  they  shall  be 
given  into  his  hand  until  a  time  and  times  and  the 
dividing  of  time." 

This  explanation  is  of  vital  importance  in  under- 
standing this  vision.  The  beasts  are  kingdoms. 
The  fourth  in  consecutive  order  was  different  from 
the  others,  and  the  difference  is  pointed  out.  It 
is  his  hostility  to  God  and  his  saints,  as  we  shall 
see.  The  ten  horns  are  ten  kings.  The  little  horn 
is  yet  another  king  arising  after  the  ten  diverse 
from  them.  So  the  '*  little  horn"  cannot  be  the 
papal  Church,  as  many  suppose;  and  all  such  ap- 
plications of  this  symbol  are  wild  and  fanciful,  un- 
supported by  the  prophecy,  as  explained  by  this 
heavenly  teacher  of  Daniel. 

We  have  shown  that  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  in 
pushing  his  way  to  the  throne  of  this  fourth  king- 
dom, uprooted  or  subdued  three  kings:  his  father, 
Antiochus  the  Great;  his  brother,  Seleucus  Phi- 
lopater,  who  took  the  throne  on  the  death  of  his 
father ;  and  Ptolemy.  That  he  "  spake  great  words 
against  the  Most  High,  and  shall  wear  out  the  saints 
of  the  Most  High,  and  think  to  change  times  and 
laws,"  is  beyond  a  question. 

Rawlinson  says:  " Antiochus,  having  not  only 
plundered  and  desecrated  the  temple,  but  having 
set  himself  to  eradicate  utterly  the  Jewish  religion, 
and  completely  Hellenize  the  people,  was  met  with 
the  most  determined  resistance  on  the  part  of  a 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       35 

moiety  of  the  nation."  Again  the  same  author 
says,  when  speaking  of  his  death:  "In  the  pop- 
ular belief  his  death  was  a  judgment  upon  him  for 
his  attempted  sacrilege." 

"And  they  [the  saints]  shall  be  given  into  his 
hand  until  a  time  and  times  and  the  dividing  of 
time."  On  account  of  the  wickedness  of  the  Jew- 
ish nation,  notwithstanding  the  few  saints  that  still 
held  firmly  to  the  religion  of  their  fathers,  they 
were  given  into  the  hand  of  this  vile  king,  and  for 
three  years  and  a  half  the  daily  sacrifice  was  sus- 
pended. "Time"  here  means  a  year,  as  we  learn 
from  its  use  in  chapter  iv.  16,  23,  29,  32.  There 
the  "seven  times"  means  seven  years,  and  the 
"time"  here  means  one  year;  "times,"  the  plu- 
ral, two  more;  and  the  "  dividing  of  time"  a  part 
of  a  year,  which  was  in  this  case,  according  to  the 
history  of  this  event,  six  months — altogether  mak- 
ing three  years  and  six  months.  Thus  we  have 
the  cumulative  evidence  that  "the  little  horn"  is 
Antiochus  Epiphanes. 

"  But  the  judgment  shall  sit,  and  they  shall  take 
away  his  dominion,  to  consume  and  to  destroy  it 
unto  the  end.  And  the  kingdom  and  dominion, 
and  the  greatness  of  the  kingdom  under  the  whole 
heaven,  shall  be  given  to  the  people  of  the  saints 
of  the  Most  High,  whose  kingdom  is  an  everlast- 
ing kingdom,  and  all  dominions  shall  serve  and 
obey  him." 

This  we  have  already  explained  (verses  9-11). 
History  shows  us  that  this  vast  empire  went  to 


36        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

pieces  about  this  time,  and  that  its  fall  was  fol- 
lowed by  the  setting  up  of  the  Messiah's  kingdom, 
which  was  "  given  to  the  people  of  the  saints  of  the 
Most  High."  And  it  was  but  a  little  time  until,  as 
Paul  tells  us,  the  gospel  "  was  preached  to  every 
creature  which  is  under  heaven."  And  again: 
"  Their  sound  went  into  all  the  earth,  and  their 
words  unto  the  ends  of  the  world." 

"  Hitherto  is  the  end  of  the  matter.  As  for  me 
Daniel,  my  cogitations  much  troubled  me,  and  my 
countenance  changed  in  me :  but  I  kept  the  matter 
in  my  heart."  The  calamities  that  he  foresaw  com- 
ing upon  his  people  greatly  troubled  this  good  man, 
and  he  laid  the  whole  matter  up  in  his  heart. 


CHAPTER  III. 

The  Third  Parallel  Vision— The  Medo- Persian  Empire— The 
Grecian  Empire — The  Four  Kingdoms — Syria  and  Egypt — 
Antiochus  Epiphanes — A  Day  not  a  Year  in  Prophecy — 
Cleansing  the  Sanctuary — The  Vision  Explained — Death  of 
Antiochus — The  Little  Horn  not  Papal  Rome. 

WE  now  come  to  the  third  of  the  great  parallel 
visions  of  Daniel,  contained  in  the  eighth 
chapter.  It  was  seen  about  two  years  subsequent 
to  the  one  recorded  in  chapter  vii.  He  says:  "In 
the  third  year  of  the  reign  of  King  Belshazzar  a 
vision  appeared  unto  me,  even  unto  me  Daniel, 
after  that  which  appeared  unto  me  at  the  first. 
And  I  saw  in  a  vision;  and  it  came  to  pass,  when 
I  saw,  that  I  was  at  Shushan  in  the  palace,  which 
is  in  the  province  of  Elam;  and  I  saw  in  a  vision, 
and  I  was  by  the  river  of  Ulai." 

He  was  actually  in  Shushan  when  he  had  the 
vision,  but  in  vision  he  was  by  the  river  of  Ulai, 
as  one  in  a  dream  conceives  himself  to  be  where 
he  is  not. 

"  Then  I  lifted  up  mine  eyes,  and  saw,  and,  be- 
hold, there  stood  before  the  river  a  ram  which  had 
two  horns :  and  the  two  horns  were  -high ;  but  one 
was  higher  than  the  other,  and  the  higher  came  up 
last.  I  saw  the  ram  pushing  westward,  and  north- 
ward, and  southward;  so  that  no  beast  might  stand 
before  him,  neither  was  there  any  that  could  de- 

(37) 


38        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

liver  out  of  his  hand ;  but  he  did  according  to  his 
will,  and  became  great." 

The  Chaldean  empire  lasted  only  a  period  of  88 
years,  from  B.C.  625  to  538.  At  the  time  of  this 
vision  there  remained  only  about  15  years  of  its 
existence ;  and  hence  it  is  dropped  out  of  this  vis- 
ion. The  prophet's  stand-point  is  Persia,  and  here 
his  vision  begins.  But  the  leaving  out  of  Chaldea 
does  not  in  any  degree  prevent  this  from  being  a 
parallel  vision  to  the  former  two. 

Gabriel  tells  Daniel  (verse  20)  that  "The  ram 
which  thou  sawest  having  two  horns  are  the  kings 
of  Media  and  Persia."  These  are  Darius  and 
Cyrus.  The  kingdom  itself  is  a  united  kingdom, 
and  draws  its  king  from  either.  The  higher  of  these 
two  is  Cyrus,  for  he  came  up  last  in  point  of  time. 
This  kingdom  pushes  its  conquests  west,  north,  and 
south;  never  to  the  east.  This  is  perfectly  in  ac- 
cordance with  history.  There  was  no  power  that 
could  stand  before  him.  None  "  could  deliver  out 
of  his' hand." 

"And  as  I  was  considering,  behold,  a  he  goat 
came  from  the  west  on  the  face  of  the  whole  earth, 
and  touched  not  the  ground :  and  the  goat  had  a 
notable  horn  between  his  eyes." 

This  is  a  correct  portrait  of  Alexander  and  of  his 
movements,  and  so  says  Gabriel  (verse  21).  He 
comes  from  the  west  (Greece),  sweeping  over  the 
"  face  of  the  whole  earth,"  bearing  all  before  him, 
"  and  touched  not  the  ground,"  so  rapid  were  his 
movements,  so  swift  his  marches.  The  "  notable 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.        39 

horn  "  was  Alexander,  Gabriel  says,  the  "first 
king."  So  far  as  this  kingdom  affected  the  Jews, 
Daniel's  people,  he  was  \hejlrst  king,  and  so  far 
as  his  conquests  embraced  the  territory  of  the  two 
former  kingdoms,  he  was  the  first.  These  visions 
have  nothing  to  do  with  European  kings  or  em- 
pires .  They  must  agree  chronologically,  geograph- 
ically, politically,  and  in  respect  of  the  Jews. 

"And  he  came  to  the  ram  that  had  two  horns, 
which  I  had  seen  standing  by  the  river,  and  ran 
unto  him  in  the  fury  of  his  power.  And  I  saw  him 
come  close  unto  the  ram,  and  he  was  moved  with 
choler  against  him,  and  smote  the  ram,  and  brake 
his  two  horns :  and  there  was  no  power  in  the  ram 
to  stand  before  him,  but  he  cast  him  down  to  the 
ground,  and  stamped  upon  him,  and  there  was  none 
that  could  deliver  the  ram  out  of  his  hand." 

With  one  dash  of  his  pen  Daniel  pictures  the 
overthrow  of  the  Medo-Persian  Empire  by  Alex- 
ander. Every  touch  is  to  life,  every  point  verified 
by  profane  history.  Years  before,  Xerxes,  the 
King  of  Persia,  had  invaded  Greece  with  his  mill- 
ions, and,  although  beaten  back  disgraced,  yet 
these  haughty  Greeks  were  not  satisfied,  but  nursed 
their  hate  and  waited  for  their  revenge.  And  now, 
as  their  daring  leader  gave  them  the  opportunity, 
they  "ran  upon  him  in  the  fury  of  their  power," 
and  "  cast  him  down  to  the  ground,  and  stamped 
upon  him."  When  we  read  the  history  of  the 
wars  waged  by  Cyrus  with  the  Persian  armies, 
when  he  "  pushed  westward,  and  northward,  and 


40        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

southward"  with  a  power  that  none  could  resist, 
we  are  struck  with  wronder  at  the  amazing  rapid- 
ity with  which  Alexander  uses  up  these  armies. 
"  Twelve  years  sufficed  him  to  master  not  Persia 
alone,  DutTyre,  Egypt,  and  all  the  east,  even  deeper 
into  India  itself  than  the  ancient  powers  of  Western 
Asia  or  Europe  ever  went  before  or  after."  No 
wonder  he  "  touched  not  the  ground  "  as  he  moved 
from  west  to  east. 

"  Therefore  the  he  goat  waxed  very  great:  and 
when  he  was  strong,  the  great  horn  was  broken ; 
and  for  it  came  up  four  notable  ones  toward  the 
four  winds  of  heaven." 

This  mighty  conqueror,  who  knew  no  defeat, 
but  whose  swelling  empire  bid  fair  to  cover  the 
known  world,  when  in  the  zenith  of  his  power  and 
success  was  "  broken."  He  died  suddenly  at 
Babylon — fell  a  victim  to  strong  drink.  *'  He  died 
on  the  eleventh  or  twelfth  day  of  his  illness,  about 
midsummer  B.C.  323,  being  in  the  thirty-third 
year  of  his  age  and  the  thirteenth  of  his  reign." 
He  was  surrounded  by  his  victorious  army,  with 
plans  for  other  wars;  "when  he  was  strong,  the 
great  horn  was  broken." 

"And  for  it  came  up  four  notable  ones  toward 
the  four  winds  of  heaven."  His  kingdom  was  di- 
vided after  some  twenty  years  of  conflict  and  blood- 
shed among  his  four  generals.  Of  these  four,  the 
Jews  stood  in  close  relation  only  to  Egypt  on  the 
south  and  Syria  on  the  north.  Hence  the  others 
are  dropped  from  the  visions. 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       41 

"And  out  of  one  of  them  came  forth  a  little  horn, 
which  waxed  exceeding  great,  toward  the  south,  and 
toward  the  east,  and  toward  the  pleasant  land. 
And  it  waxed  great,  even  to  the  hosts  of  heaven ; 
and  it  cast  down  some  of  the  host  and  of  the  stars 
to  the  ground,  and  stamped  upon  them.  Yea,  he 
magnified  himself  even  to  the  prince  of  the  host, 
and  by  him  the  daily  sacrifice  was  taken  away,  and 
the  place  of  his  sanctuary  was  cast  down." 

Antiochus  Epiphanes  came  from  the  Syrian  king- 
dom, one  of  the  four.  And  although  he  was  but 
"  a  little  horn  "  at  the  beginning,  he  became  very, 
powerful  by  dint  of  personal  effort  and  energy. 
He  pushed  his  conquests  toward  the  south  (Egypt), 
toward  the  east  (Babylonia  and  Persia),  and  to- 
ward the  pleasant  land  (Palestine).  This  always 
in  Daniel  and  Ezekiel  means  Palestine.  It  was 
regarded  by  them  as  "the  glory  of  all  lands,"  not 
only  because  it  was  the  inheritance  of  their  fathers 
— the  land  "  flowing  with  milk  and  honey" — but 
because  God's  sanctuary  was  there,  and  there  he 
had  recorded  his  name.  These  were  the  very  di- 
rections in  which  Antiochus  made  his  conquests. 
And  here  we  will  say  to  those  who  hold  that  this 
"little  horn"  is  the  papal  Church,  although  the 
revealing  angel  makes  no  sort  of  mention  or  hint 
that  it  is,  that  Church  never  did  push  its  conquests 
in  these  directions,  and  has  never  held  possession 
for  any  length  of  time  of  "  the  pleasant  land,"  Pal- 
estine. "And  it  waxed  great,  even  to  the  host  of 
heaven."  It  is  a  well-recognized  fact  that  God's 


42        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

people  are  called  his  host.  God  said  to  Joshua: 
"  Nay;  but  as  the  captain  of  the  host  of  the  Lord 
am  I  now  come."  Antiochus  assailed  God's  peo- 
ple, and  did  all  in  his  power  to  crush  them  out.  He 
succeeded  in  destroying  many  of  them.  "And  it 
cast  down  some  of  the  host  and  of  the  stars  to  the 
ground,  and  stamped  upon  them."  The  stars 
here  are  symbols  of  the  leaders,  high  priest,  and 
elders  of  Israel.  Onias,  a  high  priest,  was  slain. 
Three  noble  Jewish  deputies  who  went  to  meet  the 
king  at  Tyre  and  obtain  his  interposition  against 
Menelaus,  who  had  offered  a  greater  price  even 
than  the  vile  Jason,  who  had  been  made  high 
priest  in  room  of  Ananias,  were  killed  by  his  order. 
These  are  but  a  few  of  the  many  "  stars"  that 
were  cast  down  by  him. 

"  He  magnified  himself  even  to  the  prince  of  the 
host."  He  even  dared  to  make  war  against  the 
God  of  the  Jews,  making  an  effort  to  destroy  his 
religion  from  the  earth.  "And  by  him  the  daily 
sacrifice  was  taken  away,  and  Jjie ,  place  of  his 
sanctuary  was  cast  down." 

While  he  was  in  Egypt  a  false  report  of  his  death 
was  spread  among  the  Jews  in  Palestine,  at  which 
there  was  great  rejoicing  in  Jerusalem.  Anti- 
ochus, when  he  returned  from  Egypt,  entered  the 
city  by  force,  treated  the  Jews  as  rebels,  and  com- 
manded his  troops  to  slay  all  they  met.  Eighty 
thousand  were  killed,  made  captives,  or  sold  on 
this  occasion.  Antiochus,  conducted  by  the  cor- 
rupt high  priest,  Menelaus,  entered  into  the  holy 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       43 

of  holies,  where  he  took  and  carried  off  the  most 
precious  vessels  of  that  holy  place  to  the  value  of 
one  thousand  eight  hundred  talents.  He  afterward 
sent  Apollonius  into  Judea  with  an  army  of  twenty- 
two  thousand  men,  and  commanded  him  to  kill  all 
the  Jews  who  were  of  full  age,  and  to  sell  the 
women  and  young  men.  (2  Mace.  v.  25.)  These 
orders  were  too  punctually  executed.  These  mis- 
fortunes were  only  preludes  to  what  they  were  to 
suffer;  for  Antiochus,  apprehending  that  the  Jews 
would  never  be  content  in  their  obedience  to  him 
unless  he  obliged  them  to  change  their  religion 
and  to  embrace  that  of  the  Greeks,  issued  an  edict 
enjoining  them  to  conform  to  the  laws  of  other  na- 
tions, and  forbidding  their  usual  sacrifices  in  the 
temple,  their  festivals,  and  Sabbaths.  The  statue 
of  Jupiter  Olympus  was  placed  upon  the  altar  of 
the  temple,  and  thus  "the  abomination  of  desola- 
tion was  seen  in  the  temple  of  God."  Who  can 
doubt,  when  this  prophecy  and  the  history  of  this 
man  agrees  so  perfectly  and  wonderfully,  that  the 
"little  horn"  is  Antiochus  Epiphanes? 

"And  a  host  was  given  him  against  the  daily 
sacrifice  by  reason  of  transgression,  and  it  cast 
down  the  truth  to  the  ground ;  and  it  practiced,  and 
prospered.'" 

The  Israelites  had  become  very  corrupt.  In  the 
first  book  of  Maccabees  we  are  told:  "Where- 
upon they  built  a  place  of  exercise  at  Jerusalem 
according  to  the  customs  of  the  heathen:  and 
made  themselves  uncircumcised,  and  forsook  the 


44        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

holy  covenant,  and  joined  themselves  to  the  hea- 
then, and  were  sold  to  do  mischief."  "  By  reason 
of  transgressions"  God  gave  this  wicked  king 
power  over  his  people,  and  over  his  daily  sacrifice 
to  take  it  away.  These  judgments  were  looked 
upon  by  the  righteous  as  sent  upon  the  nation  on 
account  of  sin  and  transgression. 

Again  we  find  in  Maccabees:  "  Now  I  beseech 
those  that  read  this  book,  that  they  be  not  discour- 
aged for  these  calamities,  but  that  they  judge  those 
punishments  not  to  be  for  destruction,  but  for  a 
chastening  of  our  nation."  God  made  use  of  this 
"  little  horn  "-to  scourge  his  people  for  their  sins, 
and  hence  "it  practiced  and  prospered."  It 
seemed  to  have  every  thing  its  own  way. 

"  Then  I  heard  one  saint  speaking,  and  another 
saint  said  unto  that  certain  saint  which  spake,  How 
long  shall  be  the  vision  concerning  the  daily  sac- 
rifice, and  the  transgression  of  desolation,  to  give 
both  the  sanctuary  and  the  host  to  be  trodden 
under  foot?  And  he  said  unto  me,  Unto  two 
thousand  and  three  hundred  days;  then  shall  the 
sanctuary  be  cleansed." 

While  one  of  the  saints  in  the  hearing  of  Daniel 
was  speaking,  another  saint  interrupted  him  with 
the  question  as  to  the  duration  of  these  calamities, 
including  the  "  daily  sacrifice,  and  the  transgres- 
sion of  desolation,  to  give  both  the  sanctuary  and 
the  host  to  be  trodden  under  foot."  This  question 
was  not  to  be  answered  for  his  satisfaction,  but  to 
be  given  to  Daniel  for  his  information.  For  Dan- 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       45 

iel  said:  "And  he  said  unto  me,  Unto  two  thou- 
sand and  three  hundred  days ;  then  shall  the  sanct- 
uary be  cleansed." 

•  As  this  is  the  first  time  we  have  come  to  a  period 
indicated  by  days  in  this  prophecy,  and  as  the 
world  has  almost  with  one  consent  accepted  the 
theory  that  a  day  in  prophecy  stands  for  a  year, 
and  all  calculations  of  time  in  prophecy  are  based 
upon  this  theory,  we  will  pause  to  examine  into 
the  correctness  of  it. 

The  great  question  is:  Does  the  word  "  day  "  in 
prophecy  mean  a  year?  and  are  we  to  be  governed 
by  this  principle  in  reckoning  all  other  times,  as 
months,  years,  etc.?  We  are  indebted  to  Rev. 
Henry  Cowles  for  valuable  arguments  and  demon- 
strations on  this  subject.  His  dissertation  at  the 
close  of  his  commentary  on  Ezekiel  and  Daniel  is 
clear  and  exhaustive.  He  says:  "  So  the  broad 
principle  is  that  prophetic  notations  of  time  must 
be  multiplied  by  three  hundred  and  sixty  to  get  the 
real  historic  duration.  I  am  compelled  to  discard 
this  theory  as  utterly  baseless,  false,  and  of  course 
mischievous  and  delusive." 

But  let  us  weigh  this  theory  in  the  scale  of  God's 
word,  and  see  if  it  will  stand  the  test.  Take  a 
passage  that  is  looked  upon  as  strongly  in  favor  of 
this  theory  (Num.  xiv.  33,  34):  "Your  children 
shall  wander  in  the  wilderness  forty  years.  .  .  . 
After  the  number  of  the  days  in  which  ye  searched 
the  land,  even  forty  days,  each  day  for  a  year,  shall 
ye  bear  your  iniquities,  even  forty  years."  Here  a 


46        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

day  means  a  day,  and  a  year  means  a  year — noth- 
ing more.  God  tells  them  they  shall  wander  a  year 
for  each  day  of  their  search — nothing  more.  No 
one  could  misunderstand  this  language.  If  he  had 
said,  "Your  children  shall  wander  in  the  wilder- 
ness forty  days,"  and  the  history  had  shown  that 
they  wandered  forty  years,  then  the  case  would 
have  been  in  point.  If,  upon  the  other  hand,  this 
theory  be  true  when  God  tells  them  they  shall 
"wander  forty  years,"  he  meant  they  should  wan- 
tex  fourteen  thousand  and  four  hundred  years,  for 
that  is  forty  years  multiplied  by  three  hundred  and 
sixty.  When  God  says,  "Each  day  for  a  ye^r,"  he 
means  just  what  he  says,  and  nothing  more.  He 
wanted  their  punishment  to  remind  them  of  their 
sin. 

Another  proof  text  very  analogous  to  the  pre- 
ceding is  Ezekiel  iv.  4-6.  Ezekiel  is  commanded 
to  lie  on  his  right  side  forty  days,  and  on  his  left 
three  hundred  and  ninety  days,  before  all  Israel,  to 
indicate  that  he  bears  (in  symbol)  the  iniquity  of 
Judah  forty  years,  and  of  Israel  three  hundred  and 
ninety.  The  language  is:  "  For  I  have  laid  upon 
thee  the  years  of  their  iniquity,  according  to  the 
number  of  the  days,  three  hundred  and  ninety 
days :  so  shalt  thou  bear  the  iniquity  of  the  house 
of  Israel.  .  .  .  Lie  again  on  thy  right  side,  and 
thou  shalt  bear  the  iniquity  of  the  house  of  Judah 
forty  days :  I  have  appointed  thee  each  day  for  a 
year."  But  observe  throughout  this  passage  that 
in  every  instance  the  word  "day"  is  used  for  a 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       47 

common  day,  never  in  the  sense  of  a  year;  and 
the  word  "year"  means  only  one  year,  never 
three  hundred  and  sixty  years.  A  day  here  is 
used  as  the  symbol  of  a  year,  and  God  plainly 
told  the  prophet  so — nothing  more,  nothing  less. 

Again  (2  Pet.  iii.  8)  :  "  One  day  is  with  the  Lord 
as  a  thousand  years,  and  a  thousand  years  as  one 
day."  But  this  is, a  two-edged  sword  in  the  hands 
of  "  a-day-for-a-year  "  theorist.  Where  "  day  "  is 
spoken  of  it  means  a  thousand  years  instead  of  one, 
and  a  thousand  years  becomes  one  day.  So  when 
it  is  said,  "And  they  lived  and  reigned  with  Christ 
a  thousand  years,"  it  meant  but  one  day.  And  the 
devil's  imprisonment  of  a  thousand  years  is  also 
shortened  to  a  day.  But  the  passage  is  not  "  One 
day  is  with  the  Lord  a  thousand  years,"  but  as  a 
thousand. 

But  the  passage  most  relied  on,  and  the  one, 
doubtless,  that  has  given  the  clew  to  this  theory,  is 
Daniel  ix.  24-27,  the  celebrated  prophecy  of  the 
"  seventy  weeks."  Mr.  Cowles  says  of  this :  "The 
original  word  means,  in  its  singular  number,  a 
seven,  a  heptad;  and  this  may  be  a  seven  of  days 
or  a  seven  of  years.  The  feminine  plural  is  cur- 
rently used  for  heptads,  or  sevens,  of  days;  the 
masculine  plural  (which  we  have  here)  never  by 
itself  for  the  common  week  of  days,  but  when  a 
week  of  days  is  meant  the  word  days  is  appended, 
as  in  Daniel  x.  2,  3;  and  finally  after  a  word,  and 
a  special  form  of  a  word,  which  simply  suggests 
the  idea  of  a  seven  (a  seven  of  something),  we 


48        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

must  ask,  A  seven  of  what?  and  must  look  for  our 
answer  in  the  context,  in  the  thought  already  be- 
fore the  mind.  In  the  present  case  there  can  be 
no  doubt  that  this  thought  is  the  seventy  years  of 
captivity.  Then  seventy  sevens  of  years  must  be 
the  sense  of  this  phrase,  and  it  involves  no  usage 
of  the  word  day  to  mean  a  year;  no  usage  of  any 
current  notations  of  time  in  a  way  to  need  multi- 
plying by  three  hundred  and  sixty  to  get  the  actual 
time." 

But  to  see  the  folly  and  weakness  of  this  day- 
for-a-year  theory  it  is  only  necessary  to  strike  a 
few  offensive  blows  at  it.  When  fixing  the  time 
of  the  flood  the  Lord  said:  "Yet  his  days  shall  be 
a  hundred  and  twenty  years."  Did  he  mean 
that  in  plain  language?  or  did  he  mean  forty- 
three  thousand  two  hundred  years?  Again  :  "  Yet 
seven  days  and  I  will  cause  it  to  rain  forty  days  and 
forty  nights."  Was  the  flood  to  commence  that 
day  week,  and  continue  a  month  and  ten  days?  or 
was  it  to  commence  in  seven  years,  and  then  keep 
it  up  for  forty  years?  "  Your  children  shall  wan- 
der forty  years  in  the  wilderness."  Surely  four- 
teen thousand  four  hundred  years  would  be  a  long 
time  to  wander,  and  yet  this  would  be  the  time  ac- 
cording to  this  theory.  The  captivity  of  Israel, 
about  which  Daniel  had  read,  and  of  whose  end 
he  was  so  solicitous,  would  have  left  him  in  despair, 
for  it  was  to  be  for  seventy  years,  or  twenty-five 
thousand  two  hundred  years. 

But   let   us  come  to  Daniel's   prophecy.      He 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       49 

prophesies  of  Nebuchadnezzar's  insanity,  and 
says:  "  Let  his  heart  be  changed  from  man's,  and 
let  a  beast's  heart  be  given  unto  him,  and  let  seven 
times  pass  over  him."  And  again:  "  Let  his  por- 
tion be  with  the  beasts  of  the  field,  till  seven  times 
pass  over  him;"  and  "  they  shall  wet  thee  with  the 
dew  of  heaven,  and  seven  times  shall  pass  over 
thee;"  and  "they  shall  make  thee  to  eat  grass  as 
oxen,  and  seven  times  shall  pass  over  thee."  All 
agree  that  Daniel's  use  of  time  in  this  way  means 
year.  Then  seven  times  means  seven  years.  Was 
Nebuchadnezzar  to  be  with  the  beasts  of  the  field, 
be  wet  with  the  dews  of  heaven,  and  eat  grass  like 
oxen  for  seven  years,  or  for  two  thousand  five  hun- 
dred and  twenty  years  ?  It  will  not  do  to  have  a 
theory  to  serve  you  only  when  it  suits.  Daniel's 
"  time  and  times  and  the  dividing  of  time"  is  built 
by  the  use  of  the  same  word ;  and  it  means,  as  all  the 
advocates  of  this  theory  contend,  twelve  hundred 
and  sixty.  Then  Nebuchadnezzar  was  among  the 
beasts  two  thousand  five  hundred  and  twenty  years. 
But  is  not  this  enough  to  satisfy  any  reasonable 
mind  that  the  usage  of  the  Bible  is  wholly  against 
it;  and  that  it  is  one  of  those  strange  errors  into 
which,  when  some  one  falls,  others  follow  without 
a  thought? 

We  now  return  to  the  consideration  of  the  time 
during  which  the  daily  sacrifice  was  to  be  taken 
away,  the  sanctuary  and  the  host  to  be  trodden 
under ^  foot.  The  angel  announces  it  at  "two 
thousand  and  three  hundred  days;  then  shall  the 
4 


50        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

sanctuary  be  cleansed."  The  fixing  of  this  time 
in  the  history  of  this  period  will  do  much  to  estab- 
lish the  truth  of  the  position  we  have  taken :  That 
the  "little  horn"  is  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  and  not 
the  Pope  of  Rome  or  the  papal  Church.  One 
grand  reason  why  the  day-for-a-year  theorists  hold 
so  tenaciously  to  that  theory  is  because  only  with 
it  can  they  stretch  Daniel's  times  to  the  period  of 
this  Church  and  its  persecutions.  Hold  it  to  the 
common  computation,  and  it  falls  far  too  short; 
but  it  does  exactly  fill  out  the  time  of  oppression 
under  Antiochus.  The  question  is  with  Daniel, 
how  long?  How  long  are  these  oppressions  to  last? 
How  long  before  the  sanctuary  shall  be  cleansed? 
These  are  of  vital  interest  to  him. 

In  fixing  these  two  thousand  three  hundred  days 
(six  years,  three  months,  and  twenty  days)  we  must 
begin  at  the  end  and  follow  the  history  back,  as  we 
can  fix  almost  definitely  the  end  or  the  cleansing  of 
the  sanctuary.  This,  according  to  the  best  author- 
ity, occurred  December  25,  164  B.C.,  and  an  an- 
nual feast  was  to  be  kept  in  commemoration  of  it. 
2  Maccabees  x.  8  says:  "They  ordained  also  by 
a  common  statute  and  decree,  That  every  year 
those  days  should  be  kept  of  the  whole  nation  of 
the  Jews."  John  tells  us  that  this  feast  of  dedica- 
tion was  kept  in  our  Lord's  time,  and  that  it  was 
in  the  winter.  At  this  point,  then,  the  two  thou- 
sand three  hundred  days  must  close.  Going  back 
from  this  period  three  years  and  six  months,  we 
reach  June  25,  167  B.C.  For  this  period  the  daily 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       5 l 

sacrifices  were  taken  away.  No  altar  fires  burned ; 
"the  transgression  of  desolation"  reigned.  Just 
two  years  before  this,  June,  169  B.C.,  Antiochus 
Epiphanes  returned  from  his  second  military  ex- 
pedition to  Egypt,  greatly  enraged  against  the 
Jews  because  he  had  heard  that  they  had  been 
making  great  demonstrations  of  joy  over  a  report 
of  his  death.  He  fell  upon  the  city  with  the  sword, 
making  a  terrific  slaughter  of  "the  hosts  of  the 
Lord's  people."  These  things  we  find  fully  record- 
ed in  the  book  of  Maccabees.  "  He  thought  that 
Judea  had  revolted:  whereupon  removing  out  of 
Egypt  in  a  furious  mind,  he  took  the  city  by  force 
of  arms,  and  commanded  his  men  of  war  not  to 
spare  such  as  they  met,  and  to  slay  such  as  went 
up  upon  the  houses.  Thus  there  was  killing  of 
young  and  old,  making  away  of  men,  women,  and 
children,  slaying  of  virgins  and  infants.  And  there 
were  destroyed  within  three  whole  days  fourscore 
thousand,  whereof  forty  thousand  were  slain  in  the 
conflict;  and  no  fewer  sold  than  slain."  But  the 
full  period  of  twenty-three  hundred  days  runs 
back  yet  a  fraction  of  a  year  farther.  The  on- 
slaught of  Jason  was  probably  in  May,  169  B.C. 
The  period  named  in  our  passage  (six  years,  three 
months,  and  twenty  days)  should  begin  about  Sep- 
tember 5,  170  B.C.  The  author  of  the  second 
book  of  Maccabees,  in  his  fourth  chapter,  imme- 
diately preceding  that  quoted  above,  records  the 
murder  of  the  good  Onias,  long  time  a  high  priest, 
a  "star"  of  the  first  magnitude,  whose  influence 


52        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

had  long  withstood  the  wickedness  of  the  times ; 
and  the  murder  of  the  three  Jewish  deputies  who 
went  to  meet  the  king  at  Tyre,  and  obtain  his  in- 
terposition against  Menelaus.  This  Menelaus  was 
a  vile  apostate;  a  minion  of  Antiochus,  subserving 
his  interests  by  drawing  the  people  into  Grecian 
customs  and  idolatry.  Indirectly  what  he  did  in 
the  way  of  persecuting  the  Jews  was  done  by  An- 
tiochus himself.  Hence  this  murder  of  four  dis- 
tinguished Jewish  leaders  should  be  set  to  the  ac- 
count of  this  "  little  horn."  They  all  seem  to  have 
occurred  in  the  year  170  B.C.  Moreover  it  was  in 
the  year  B.C.  170  that  Antiochus  made  his  first  ex- 
pedition into  Egypt,  in  which  he  naturally  passed 
through  Judea.  It  is  not  strange  that  a  period  in- 
tended to  cover  the  whole  time  of  casting  down 
" some  of  the  hosts  of  the  stars"  unto  the  "  cleans- 
ing of  the  sanctuary"  should  embrace  the  murder 
of  Onias,  and  of  the  three  deputies  to  Tyre,  and 
also  the  period  of  his  first  military  expedition 
through  the  country.  "  This  is  the  amount  of  his- 
torical verification  which  I  am  able  to  obtain  from 
any  authentic  source  at  my  command. 
This  paucity  of  historic  material  is  an  ample  apol- 
ogy for  any  apparent  deficiency  in  making  out 
the  precise  historic  verification  of  this  time  pe- 
riod which  refers  to  events  so  remote,  and  which 
gives  us  periods  so  minute  as  the  number  of 
days.  And  even  this  number  (2,300)  may  be 
round  and  general,  and  not  precise  and  partic- 
ular. Yet  the  approximation  which  is  obtained, 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       53 

despite  such  difficulties,  will  satisfy  fair-minded 
readers." 

4 'And  it  came  to  pass,  when  I,  even  I  Daniel, 
had  seen  the  vision,  and  sought  for  the  meaning, 
then,  behold,  there  stood  before  me  as  the  appear- 
ance of  a  man.  And  I  heard  a  man's  voice  be- 
tween the  banks  of  Ulai,  which  called,  and  said, 
Gabriel,  make  this  man  to  understand  the  vision. 
So  he  came  near  where  I  stood:  and  when  he 
came,  I  was  afraid,  and  fell  upon  my  face:  but  he 
said  unto  me,  Understand,  O  son  of  man:  for  at 
the  time  of  the  end  shall  be  the  vision.  Now  as  he 
was  speaking  with  me,  I  was  in  a  deep  sleep  on  my 
face  toward  the  ground:  but  he  touched  me,  and 
set  me  upright.  And  he  said,  Behold,  I  will  make 
thee  know  what  shall  be  in  the  last  end  of  the  in- 
dignation :  for  at  the  time  appointed  the  end  shall 
be." 

These  verses  describe  the  way  in  which  Daniel 
obtained  from  the  angel  Gabriel  an  explanation  of 
the  vision.  God  was  angry  with  his  people  for 
their  sins.  Never  was  there  a  time  in  the  history 
of  this  people  when  there  seemed  to  be  more  prob- 
ability of  their  being  carried  away  by  the  customs 
and  false  religion  of  the  heathen.  The  Greeks, 
with  all  their  refinement  of  manners  and  the  at- 
tractiveness of  their  religious  rites,  their  customs 
and  their  games,  seemed  likely  to  bear  the  whole 
nation  away  from  the  God  and  worship  of  their 
fathers.  "Nor  was  their  social  position  less  peril- 
ous. The  influence  of  Greek  literature,  of  for- 


54        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

eign  travel,  of  extended  commerce  had  made  it- 
self felt  in  daily  life.  At  Jerusalem  the  mass  of 
the  inhabitants  seemed  to  have  desired  to  imitate 
the  exercises  of  the  Greeks,  and  a  Jewish  embassy 
attended  the  games  of  Hercules  at  Tyre."  For 
these  things  God's  indignation  was  kindled.  And 
now,  as  Daniel  desired  to  know  of  the  final  issue, 
Gabriel  is  sent  to  make  him  "know  what  should 
be  in  the  last  end  of  the  indignation,"  assuring 
him  that  "  at  the  time  appointed  the  end  shall  be." 
He  therefore  begins  to  unfold  the  entire  vision. 

"  The  ram  which  thou  sawest  having  two  horns 
are  the  kings  of  Media  and  Persia.  And  the 
rough  goat  is  the  king  of  Grecia:  and  the  great 
horn  that  is  between  his  eyes  is  the  first  king. 
Now  that  being  broken,  whereas  four  stood  up  for 
it,  four  kingdoms  shall  stand  up  out  of  the  nation, 
but  not  in  his  power." 

This  is  so  plain,  especially  in  view  of  what  has 
Already  been  said,  that  it  needs  no  further  expla- 
nation. 

"And  in  the  latter  time  of  their  kingdom,  when 
the  transgressors  are  come  to  the  full,  a  king  of 
fierce  countenance,  and  understanding  dark  sen- 
tences, shall  stand  up.  And  his  power  shall  be 
mighty,  but  not  by  his  own  power:  and  he  shall 
destroy  wonderfully,  and  shall  prosper,  and  prac- 
tice, and  shall  destroy  the  mighty  and  the  holy 
people.  And  through  his  policy  also  he  shall 
cause  craft  to  prosper  in  his  hand;  and  he  shall 
magnify  himself  in  his  heart,  and  by  peace  shall 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       55 

destroy  many:  he  shall  also  stand  up  against  the 
Prince  of  princes ;  but  he  shall  be  broken  without 
hand." 

When  Daniel  was  describing  what  he  saw,  he 
says  (verse  9):  "Out  of  one  of  them  [kingdoms] 
came  forth  a  little  horn."  Gabriel  says:  "In  the 
latter  time  of  their  kingdom  a  king  shall  stand  up." 
Thus  it  is  assumed  that  this  king  is  a  king  of  one 
of  these  four  kingdoms,  and  the  angel  locates  him 
in  point  of  time.  "  In  the  latter  time  of  their  king- 
dom, when  the  transgressors  [of  the  Jews]  are 
come  to  the  full."  This  king  can  be  none  other 
than  Antiochus  Epiphanes.  The  portrait  of  him 
is  true  to  the  life..  He  and  he  alone  sat  for  the 
picture.  No  other  can  claim  it.  Two  of  the  four 
kingdoms  built  out  of  the  wreck  of  Alexander's 
empire  had  already  run  their  course  and  become 
extinct  when  Antiochus  ascended  the  throne.  As 
a  whole,  these  kingdoms  were  in  "  their  latter 
time."  His  "fierce  countenance"  indicates  the 
cruelty  of  his  character.  His  command  to  put  all 
the  Jews  to  the  sword,  and  his  last  threat  to  make 
Jerusalem  a  grave-yard,  are  a  full  answer  to  this 
feature  of  his  character  as  pointed  out  by  the  an- 
gel. He  was  a  most  ferocious,  passionate,  cruel 
man.  Moses  describes  the  Romans,  who  were  to 
effect  the  final  overthrow  of  the  Jews  (Deut.  xxviii. 
50),  as  "  a  nation  si  fierce  countenance,  which  shall 
not  regard  the  person  of  the  old,  nor  show  favor 
to  the  young."  That  he  should  "  understand  dark 
sentences ' '  refers  to  his  resources  of  cunning,  craft, 


56        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

and  policy,  as  is  more  fully  indicated  in  verse  25 : 
"  Through  his  policy  also  he  shall  cause  craft 
to  prosper  in  his  hand."  "  His  power  shall  be 
mighty,  but  not  by  his  own  power" — that  is,  he  was 
not  the  rightful  heir  to  the  throne.  He,  by  his  un- 
scrupulous craft,  rooted  up  three  other  kings,  thus 
taking  their  power.  It  was  not  his  own.  "And 
he  shall  destroy  wonderfully."  This  he  did  wher- 
ever he  went,  but  especially  in  Judea,  and  the  wars 
and  troubles  he  originated  among  them  continued 
for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  after  his  death. 
44  Craft  prospered  in  his  hand."  He  was  ever 
planning  and  scheming,  and  was  usually  success- 
ful, not  only  in  times  of  war,  but  "by  peace  [in 
time  of  peace]  he  destroyed  many."  "He  shall 
also  stand  up  against  the  Prince  of  princes."  It 
was  in  his  plan  to  overthrow  the  religion  of  the 
Jews,  and  not  only  did  he  issue  his  command  to 
this  end,  but  enforced  it  at  the  point  of  the  sword. 
His  last  impulse  was  to  return  to  Jerusalem  and 
overthrow  their  religion,  or  annihilate  them  as  a 
people.  Thus  he  stood  "  up  against  the  Prince  of 
princes;  but  he  shall  be  broken  without  hand." 
The  author  of  Second  Maccabees,  chapter  ix., 
when  Antiochus  was  stricken  with  his  last  sickness 
and  knew  he  must  die,  says :  ' '  Here  therefore  being 
plagued,  he  began  to  leave  off  his  great  pride,  and 
to  come  to  the  knowledge  of  himself,  by  the  scourge 
of  God,  his  pain  increasing  every  moment.  And 
when  he  himself  could  not  abide  his  own  smell,  he 
said  these  words,  It  is  meet  to  be  subject  unto 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       57 

God,  and  that  a  man  that  is  mortal  should  not 
proudly  think  of  himself,  as  if  he  were  God." 
Also  in  his  distress  and  remorse  he  vowed  that  if 
God  would  spare  him,  he  would  become  a  Jew 
himself,  and  go  through  all  the  world  declaring 
the  power  of  God.  "This  shows  that  he  had 
arrayed  himself  against  God  with  his  eyes  open, 
standing  up  intelligently  against  the  Prince  of 
princes.  No  wonder,  therefore,  that  he  was  sud- 
denly 'broken  without  hand.'  ' 

"And  the  vision  of  the  evening  and  the  morning 
which  was  told  is  true :  wherefore  shut  thou  up  the 
vision ;  for  it  shall  be  for  many  days.  And  I  Dan- 
iel fainted,  and  was  sick  certain  days;  afterward 
I  rose  up,  and  did  the  king's  business;  and  I  was 
astonished  at  the  vision,  but  none  understood  it." 

"  This  vision  is  spoken  of  as  'the  vision  of  the 
evening  and  the  morning,'  with  reference  to  this 
phrase  in  the  Hebrew  of  verse  14:  'Twenty-three 
hundred  evening  morning.'  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  '  the  vision  of  the  evening  and  the 
morning,'  mentioned  in  verse  26,  is  the  vision  of 
this  eighth  chapter,  especially  that  part  of  it  in 
which  this  phrase  occurs,  and  which  shows  how 
long  the  little  horn  shall  tread  down  '  the  sanct- 
uary '  and  the  sacramental  '  host.'  ' 

In  the  I4th  verse,  where  the  two  thousand  three 
hundred  days  are  given,  the  word  translated  days 
is  "evening  morning;"  and  the  meaning  is  no 
doubt  merely  day  in  the  sense  of  twenty-four 
hours,  the  time  of  one  revolution  of  the  earth  upon 


58        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

its  axis.  This  expression  means  a  full  day,  made 
up  of  night  and  day,  as  if  the  inspiring  Spirit  in- 
tended that  men  should  never  fall  into  the  error  of 
claiming  that  a  day  here  meant  a  year,  or  three 
hundred  and  sixty  days. 

Daniel  is  commanded  to  "shut  up  the  vision; 
for  it  shall  be  for  many  days."  Men  of  his  day 
were  not  specially  interested  in  these  persecutions 
because  they  were  so  far  off.  As  the  time  drew 
near  then  men  would  read  them  to  profit.  "  Dan- 
iel fainted,  and  was  sick  certain  days."  The 
strain  upon  his  nervous  system  was  so  great,  the 
revelations  so  startling  and  important  to  him  as  a 
lover  of  God  and  his  people,  that  he  was  com- 
pletely overcome,  was  incapacitated  for  business 
for  "certain  days;"  th^n  he  "rose  up,  and  did 
the  king's  business."  Doubtless  he  was,  as  he 
had  been  for  many  years,  the  Prime  Minister  at 
the  court.  He  "  was  astonished  at  the  vision,  but 
none  understood  it."  The  things  revealed  in  it 
were  so  strange,  so  wonderful,  so  unlike  any  thing 
ever  revealed  before,  that  it  was  not  fully  under- 
stood. And,  as  we  shall  find,  it  requires  other 
visions  and  other  explanations  to  enable  him  to 
understand  it.  One  more  vision,  parallel  to  the 
three  he  had  already  had,  with  the  plain  and  ex- 
plicit explanation  of  the  revealing  angel,  who 
dropped  all  figure  and  symbol,  and  gave  the  grand 
play  of  events,  and  then  he  could  and  would  un- 
derstand it. 

So  many  have  fallen  into  the  error  of  applying 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       59 

the  little  horn  of  this  chapter  to  papal  Rome  that  I 
cannot  withhold  some  judicious  remarks  on  this 
subject  by  Rev.  Henry  Cowles.  He  says:  "A  few 
words  are  due  here  respecting  the  theory  of  inter- 
preting this  chapter,  which  makes  the  little  horn 
papal  Rome.  This  little  horn  of  chapter  viii.  can- 
not be  papal  Rome:  i.  Because  he  is  Antiochus 
Epiphanes,  as  has  been  shown.  2.  Because  this 
horn  is  a  king;  and  therefore  is  not  a  Church^  is  not 
a  great  religious  organization,  is  not  even  a  king- 
dom. Let  it  be  remembered  that  this  is  put  es- 
pecially on  the  ground  of  God's  own  interpreta- 
tion. The  current  strain  of  the  vision  proper 
(verses  9-14)  most  fully  implies  that  this  horn  is  a 
king;  but  the  interpretation  (verses  20-25)  affirms 
it,  and  so  describes  him  throughout.  This  author- 
ity ought  to  be  respected.  Of  course  it  will  be  by 
those  who  admit  that  he  who  presents  thoughts  to 
others,  whetner  by  symbols  or  in  ordinary  speech, 
is  the  best  interpreter  of  his  own  thought;  and 
that  this  universal  law  is  pre-eminently  applicable  to 
the  omniscient  God.  He  surely  ought  to  know 
what  he  himself  means,  and  ought  to  be  trusted  to 
give  his  own  meaning  fairly.  Consequently  this 
argument  'settles  the  question.  More  is  really 
gratuitous,  useful  mainly  to  show  how  many  things 
seem  to  have  been  overlooked,  or  at  least  unac- 
countably disposed  of,  that  should  have  compelled 
every  student  of  these  prophecies  to  reject  the  the- 
ory that  makes  the  little  horn  papal  Rome.  3. 
This  king  rises  in  one  of  the  four  kingdoms  into 


60        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

which  Alexander's  empire  was  cleft.  Papal  Rome 
did  not;  in  fact  papal  Rome  could  not,  for  the 
reason  that  every  one  of  these  four  kingdoms  had 
ceased  some  time  before  the  Christian  era — i.  e.9 
some  seven  hundred  years  before  any  historian 
dates  the  rise  of  papal  Rome.  4.  He  pushes  his 
conquests  *  toward  the  south  [Egypt],  toward  the 
east  [Persia],  and  toward  the  pleasant  land  [Pal- 
estine].' But  papal  Rome  had  on  the  south  the 
Mediterranean  Sea;  made  no  footing  in  Egypt  or 
Africa;  had  to  give  up  the  East  to  the  Greek 
Church;  never  made  any  show  in  the  'pleasant 
land ' — all  her  crusades  through  two  fearful  centu- 
ries of  blood  and  toil  becoming  a  magnificent  fail- 
ure. Yet  she  did  push  her  conquests  in  precisely 
every  other  direction,  thus  reversing  this  descrip- 
tion of  the  little  horn.  5.  This  horn  persecuted 
the  Jews  while  yet  Judaism  was  in  force,  and  the 
Jews  were  the  only  known  people  of  God.  This 
papal  Rome  did  not  do,  and  could  not,  for  the  rea- 
son that  they  had  ceased  to  be  the  recognized 
'  saints '  of  God,  and  Judaism  'had  waxed  old  and 
vanished  away'  long  before  papal  Rome  was  born. 
6.  This  horn  takes  away  '  the  daily  sacrifice,' 
which  papal  Rome  never  did,  for  God  had  taken 
it  away  forever  at  least  six  hundred  years  before 
papal  Rome  came  into  being.  After  a  definite 
period  of  these  persecutions  and  desecrations  by 
the  little  horn,  his  power  is  broken  and  *  the  sanct- 
uary is  cleansed ' — in  all  which  papal  Rome  was 
not,  for  the  same  very  sufficient  reason  as  above: 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       61 

she  was  not  yet  in  existence.  7.  Finally,  there  is 
not  one  solitary  point  in  this  description  which  ap- 
plies to  papal  Rome  so  specifically  as  to  define  her 
and  distinguish  her  from  any  other  persecuting 
power.  Nothing  in  this  chapter  applies  to  papal 
Rome  except  those  very  general  features  which 
must  pertain  to  any  persecutor  of  the  Church. 
The  papal  Rome  theory,  therefore,  violates  all  just 
principles  of  interpreting  prophecy.  Especially  it 
goes  in  the  very  face  of  God's  own  interpretation 
of  this  little  horn  as  a  king ;  hence  it  cannot  possi- 
bly be  true.  It  has  absolutely  nothing  in  its  sup- 
port, and  every  thing  against  it.  From  this  posi- 
tion I  infer  that  the  little  horn  of  chapter  vii.  cannot 
be  papal  Rome,  for  that  horn  and  this  are  identical. 
As  this  cannot  be  papal  Rome,  neither  can  that. 
This  entire  course  of  reasoning  applies  in  every 
particular  with  equal  force  against  the  theory  that 
this  little  horn  of  chapter  viii.  is  the  Mohammedan 
power.  There  is  not  the  first  shade  of  an  argu- 
ment in  its  support." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Daniel's  Confession  and  Prayer  —  Gabriel  Comes  to  Explain  — 
When  Christ  Is  to  Suffer  and  Die  —  His  Kingdom  Estab- 
lished. 


IX.  is  an  important  one,  and  closely 
connected  with  the  vision  contained  in  the 
eighth.  At  the  close  of  the  vision  there  record- 
ed there  were  important  matters  not  yet  under- 
stood. He  says:  "  I  was  astonished  at  the  vision, 
but  none  understood  it."  He  saw  the  sore  and 
dreadful  punishment  to  which  his  people  were 
doomed  on  account  of  transgressions.  He  saw 
that  the  king  symbolized  by  the  little  horn,  after 
stamping  the  saints  of  God  under  his  feet,  and 
standing  up  against  the  Prince  of  princes,  should 
be  broken  without  hand;  and  now  he  desired  to 
know  the  full  meaning  of  the  matter.  He  first  be- 
gan by  searching  the  writings  of  the  prophets  ;  and 
when  he  had  read  all  that  they  contained  on  the 
subject,  he  set  himself  to  find  out  the  rest  from  God 
himself. 

"In  the  first  year  of  Darius  the  son  of  Ahas- 
uerus,  of  the  seed  of  the  Medes,  which  was  made 
king  over  the  realm  of  the  Chaldeans  ;  in  the  first 
year  of  his  reign,  I  Daniel  understood  by  books 
the  number  of  the  years,  whereof  the  word  of  the 
Lord  came  to  Jeremiah  the  prophet,  that  he  would 
accomplish  seventy  years  in  the  desolations  of  Je- 
(62) 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       63 

rusalem.  And  I  set  my  face  unto  the  Lord  God, 
to  seek  by  prayer  and  supplications,  with  fasting, 
and  sackcloth,  and  ashes:  and  I  prayed  unto  the 
Lord  my  God,  and  made  my  confession,  and  said, 

0  Lord,  the  great  and  dreadful  God,  keeping  the 
covenant  and  mercy  to  them  that  love  him,  and  to 
them    that   keep    his    commandments;     we  iiave 
sinned,   and  have   committed   iniquity,    and    have 
done  wickedly,  and  have  rebelled,  even  by  depart- 
ing from  thy  precepts   and  from  thy  judgments: 
neither  have  we  hearkened  unto  thy  servants  the 
prophets,  which  spake  in  thy  name  to  our  kings, 
our  princes,  and  our  fathers,  and  to  all  the  people 
of  the  land." 

In  Jeremiah  xxv.  n,  12  he  found  this  prophecy: 
"And  the  whole  land  shall  be  a  desolation,  and  an 
astonishment;  and  these  nations  shall  serve  the 
king  of  Babylon  seventy  years.  And  it  shall  come 
to  pass,  when  seventy  years  are  accomplished,  that 

1  will  punish  the  king  of  Babylon,"  etc.     And  in 
verse  14:  "  For  many  nations  and  great  kings  shall 
serve  themselves  of  them  also :    and  I  will  recom- 
pense them  according  to  their  deeds,  and  accord- 
ing to  the  works  of  their  own  hands." 

This  whole  chapter  of  Jeremiah's  prophecy  is 
full  of  what  God  will  do  to  those  nations  that 
"  shall  serve  themselves"  of  the  Jews.  In  read- 
ing this  the  whole  soul  of  Daniel  was  stirred,  and 
he  set  himself  to  find  out  all  about  it.  The  visions 
he  had  seen  indicated  that  at  the  coming  of  the 
Messiah  these  things  should  be  fulfilled. 


64        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

The  first  thing  he  did  was  to  lay  the  sins  of  the 
people,  by  confession,  before  God.  This  he  does 
in  the  most  thorough  and  humble  manner,  keeping 
nothing  back,  exonerating  neither  himself,  the 
people,  or  their  rulers.  And  while  he  confesses 
he  draws  the  contrast  between  their  unfaithfulness 
and  the  faithfulness  of  God  "  keeping  the  covenant 
and  mercy  to  them  that  love  him,  and  to  them  that 
keep  his  commandments. 

*'  O  Lord,  righteousness  belongeth  unto  thee, 
but  unto  us  confusion  of  faces,  as  at  this  day;  to 
the  men  of  Judah,  and  to  the  inhabitants  of  Jeru- 
salem, and  unto  all  Israel,  that  are  near,  and  that 
are  far  off,  through  all  the  countries  whither  thou 
hast  driven  them,  because  of  their  trespass  that 
they  have  trespassed  against  thee.  O  Lord,  to  us 
belongeth  confusion  of  face,  to  our  kings,  to  our 
princes,  and  to  our  fathers,  because  we  have  sinned 
against  thee.  To  the  Lord  our  God  belong  mer- 
cies and  forgivenesses,  though  we  have  rebelled 
against  him ;  neither  have  we  obeyed  the  voice  of 
the  Lord  our  God,  to  walk  in  his  laws,  which  he 
set  before  us  by  his  servants  the  prophets.  Yea, 
all  Israel  have  transgressed  thy  law,  even  by  de- 
parting, that  they  might  not  obey  thy  voice ;  there- 
fore the  curse  is  poured  upon  us,  and  the  oath  that 
is  written  in  the  law  of  Moses  the  servant  of  God, 
because  we  have  sinned  against  him.  And  he  hath 
confirmed  his  words,  which  he  spake  against  us, 
and  against  our  judges  that  judged  us,  by  bring- 
ing upon  us  a  great  evil:  for  under  the  whole 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       65 

heaven  hath  not  been  done  as  hath  been  done  upon 
Jerusalem.  And  it  is  written  in  the  law  of  Moses, 
all  this  evil  is  come  upon  us :  yet  made  we  not  our 
prayer  before  the  Lord  our  God,  that  we  might 
turn  from  our  iniquities,  and  understand  thy  truth. 
Therefore  hath  the  Lord  watched  upon  the  evil, 
and  brought  it  upon  us:  for  the  Lord  our  God  is 
righteous  in  all  his  works  which  he  doeth :  for  we 
obeyed  not  his  voice." 

In  this  whole  prayer  Daniel  keeps  prominent  the 
sins  they  had  committed  against  light  and  knowl- 
edge, and  God's  righteousness  in  sending  upon 
them  the  calamities  against  which  he  had  so  faith- 
fully forewarned  them  by  Moses  and  the  prophets. 
(See  this  warning  in  Lev.  xxvi.  14-46,  and  Deut. 
xxviii.-xxx.)  And  yet,  in  view  of  all  these  ag- 
gravating sins,  he  stands  up  to  plead  for  forgive- 
ness. 

"And  now,  O  Lord  our  God,  that  hast  brought 
thy  people  forth  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt  with 
a  mighty  hand,  and  hast  gotten  thee  renown,  as  at 
this  day;  we  have  sinned,  we  have  done  wicked- 
ly. O  Lord,  according  to  all  thy  righteousness,  I 
beseech  thee,  let  thine  anger  and  thy  fury  be  turned 
away  from  thy  city  Jerusalem,  thy  holy  mountain: 
because  for  our  sins,  and  for  the  iniquities  of  our 
fathers,  Jerusalem  and  thy  people  are  become  a  re- 
proach to  all  that  are  about  us.  Now  therefore,  O 
our  God,  hear  the  prayer  of  thy  servant,  and  his 
supplications,  and  cause  thy  face  to  shine  upon  thy 
sanctuary  that  is  desolate,  for  the  Lord's  sake.  O 
5 


66        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

my  God,  incline  thine  ear,  and  hear;  open  thine 
eyes,  and  behold  our  desolations,  and  the  city 
which  is  called  by  thy  name :  for  we  do  not  pre- 
sent our  supplications  before  thee  for  our  right- 
eousnesses, but  for  thy  great  mercies.  O  Lord, 
hear;  O  Lord,  forgive;  O  Lord,  hearken  and  do; 
defer  not,  for  thine  own  sake,  O  my  God:  for  thy 
city  and  thy  people  are  called  by  thy  name." 

No  more  earnest  prayer  was,  perhaps,  ever  of- 
fered by  man.  The  whole  soul  of  the  prophet 
seems  as  if  it  would  break  away  from  the  body  in 
its  ardent  longings  and  absorbing  supplications. 
He  pleads  in  view  of  God's  mercies,  in  view  of  his 
love  to  his  people,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  his  own 
honor  is  involved,  Jerusalem  and  the  people  are 
called  by  his  name,  in  view  of  the  desolations  of 
the  one  and  the  distresses  of  the  other,  and  then 
he  pleads  "for  the  Lord's  sake,"  the  Lord  who 
had  redeemed  Israel,  their  Messiah,  his  Son.  And 
then  with  a  triple  supplication  he  pleads  with  the 
Lord  to  defer  not,  for  his  own  sake,  and  for  the 
sake  of  the  city  and  people  called  by  his  name. 
Such  a  prayer  touched  the  heart  of  God,  and  a 
heavenly  messenger  was  sent  to  reveal  to  him  the 
hope  of  Israel  and  the  world,  the  coming  of  Christ 
and  the  redemption  he  should  accomplish  through 
his  death  and  sufferings.  He  says: 

"And  while  I  was  speaking,  and  praying,  and 
confessing  my  sin  and  the  sin  of  my  people  Israel, 
and  presenting  my  supplication  before  the  Lord 
my  God  for  the  holy  mountain  of  my  God ;  yea, 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       67 

while  I  was  speaking  in  prayer,  even  the  man  Ga- 
briel, whom  I  had  seen  in  the  vision  at  the  begin- 
ning, being  caused  to  fly  swiftly,  touched  me  about 
the  time  of  the  evening  oblation.  And  he  informed 
me,  and  talked  with  me,  and  said,  O  Daniel,  I  am 
now  come  forth  to  give  thee  skill  and  understand- 
ing. At  the  beginning  of  thy  supplications  the 
commandment  came  forth,  and  I  am  come  to  shew 
thee ;  for  thou  art  greatly  beloved :  therefore  un- 
derstand the  matter,  and  consider  the  vision." 

Every  indication  of  Gabriel  here  shows  that  he 
had  come  to  finish  the  explanation  of  the  vision 
seen  by  Ulai,  where  he  had  appeared  to  Daniel, 
and  given  him  some  light.  Daniel  recognizes  him 
as  the  same  whom  he  "had  seen  in  the  vision  at 
the  beginning."  And  the  angel  announces  to  him 
that  he  had  "  come  forth  to  give  him  skill  and  un- 
derstanding." He  tells  Daniel  that  he  is  "greatly 
beloved:  therefore  understand  the  matter,  and 
consider  the  vision."  This  puts  it  beyond  a  doubt 
that  he  had  come  to  explain  the  vision,  at  the  close 
of  which  Daniel  had  "fainted,  and  was  sick  cer- 
tain days."  He  was  physically  too  weak  to  bear 
more  at  the  time,  and  he  says:  "I  was  astonished 
at  the  vision,  but  none  understood  it."  It  had 
lain  heavy  on  his  heart  ever  since,  and  now  he  set 
himself  to  find  it  out.  God  was  to  break  the  pow- 
er of  all  the  enemies  of  his  people,  and  to  set  up  a 
kingdom  that  never  should  be  destroyed.  His  do- 
minion was  to  be  an  everlasting  dominion,  and 
Daniel  wanted -to  know  just  how  it  was  to  be  ac- 


68        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

complished.  He  had  seen  the  little  stone  cut  out 
of  the  mountain  without  hands  break  down  and 
grind  to  dust  the  kingdoms  of  earth.  He  had 
heard  that  the  last  great  foe  to  God  and  his  people 
was  to  be  broken  without  hand.  But  when?  how? 
were  the  great  questions  that  troubled  him ;  and  as 
he  stood  panting  with  the  fervor  of  his  petitions, 
Gabriel  stood  by  him  with  full  authority  to  give  him 
all  the  information  he  asked  for.  It  comes  in  the 
following  language : 

"  Seventy  weeks  are  determined  upon  thy  people 
and  upon  thy  holy  city,  to  finish  the  transgression, 
and  to  make  an  end  of  sins,  and  to  make  reconcil- 
iation for  iniquity,  and  to  bring  in  everlasting  right- 
eousness, and  to  seal  up  the  vision  and  prophecy, 
and  to  anoint  the  Most  Holy.  Know  therefore 
and  understand,  that  from  the  going  forth  of  the 
commandment  to  restore  and  to  build  Jerusalem, 
unto  the  Messiah  the  Prince,  shall  be  seven  weeks, 
and  threescore  and  two  weeks :  the  street  shall  be 
built  again,  and  the  wall,  even  in  troublous  times. 
And  after  threescore  and  two  weeks  shall  Mes- 
siah be  cut  off,  but  not  for  himself:  and  the  peo- 
ple of  the  prince  that  shall  come  shall  destroy  the 
city  and  the  sanctuary;  and  the  end  thereof  shall 
be  with  a  flood,  and  unto  the  end  of  the  war  deso- 
lations are  determined.  And  he  shall  confirm  the 
covenant  with  many  for  one  week;  and  in  the 
midst  of  the  week  he  shall  cause  the  sacrifice  and 
the  oblation  to  cease,  and  for  the  overspreading  of 
abominations  he  shall  make  it  desolate,  even  until 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       69 

the  consummation,  and  that  determined  shall  be 
poured  upon  the  desolate." 

Before  entering  upon  a  full  explanation  of  this 
wonderful  passage  we  desire  to  give  you  what  Rev. 
Henry  Cowles  says  of  the  "  seventy  weeks,"  and 
in  fact  all  the  "weeks"  contained  in  it: 

"  This  English  phrase  suggests  only  the  ordinary 
week  of  seven  days,  making  the  whole  duration 
four  hundred  and  ninety  days.  Inasmuch  as  the 
fulfillment  seems  to  require  instead  four  hundred 
and  ninety  years,  it  has  been  often  assumed  that 
this  passage  at  least  must  be  admitted  to  be  a  case 
of  a  prophetic  day  used  for  a  year.  A  closer  ex- 
amination removes  this  case  from  the  list  of  those 
proofs,  explaining  the  phrase  in  another  and  much 
more  reliable  way.  A  Hebrew  reader  coming  to 
this  phrase  would  say  at  once :  4  This  first  word  is 
not  the  usual  form  for  weeks  of  days.'  The  word 
means  a  seven,  a  heptad,  and  is  formed  from  the 
numeral  seven.  The  feminine  plural  is  the  form 
which  is  constantly  used  to  denote  weeks  of  days. 
This  is  the  masculine  plural,  indicating  at  least 
something  different  from  a  mere  week  of  seven 
days.  There  is  no  instance  in  the  Hebrew  Bible 
where  this  masculine  plural  form  is  used  alone  for 
weeks  of  days.  In  a  few  cases,  where  it  means 
sevens  of  days,  the  word  for  days  follows  it  to 
make  the  sense  clear,  showing  that  of  itself  it 
would  not  be  taken  in  this  sense  of  seven  days. 
(See  these  cases,  Dan.  x.  2,  3.)  In  Ezekiel  xlv. 
21  the  feminine  plural  has  the  word  days  after  it, 


70        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

meaning  the  feast  of  sevens  of  days — i.  e.,  the 
Passover,  which  was  held  seven  days — a  case 
which  shows  that  the  primary  sense  of  even  the 
feminine  plural  is  a  heptad,  and  not  properly  a 
week.  The  use  of  the  feminine  plural  in  the  sense 
of  our  common  week  may  be  seen  in  Exodus  xxxiv. 
22;  Numbers  xxviii.  26;  Deuteronomy  xvi.  9,  10, 
16;  2  Chronicles  viii.  13;  Jeremiah  v.  24.  Fur- 
ther, when  any  thoughtful  reader  should  meet  the 
word  sevens  he  would  naturally  ask :  '  Sevens  of 
what?  Is  this  sevens  of  days,  or  sevens  of  years, 
or  sevens  of  centuries? '  He  would  expect  to  find 
the  clew  to  his  answer  in  the  context.  '  What  has 
the  writer  been  saying?  There  must  be  something 
in  what  he  has  said  to  give  a  definite  clew  to  his 
meaning,  for  to  say  only  "  sevens  "  is  to  leave  his 
meaning  entirely  indefinite/  Pursuing  this  train  of 
inquiry,  he  would  see  in  the  present  case  a  mani- 
fest allusion  to  the  seventy  years  of  captivity  which 
is  so  vividly  before  Daniel's  mind.  It  cannot  be 
overlooked  that  Daniel  is  praying  with  the  great 
thought  of  the  seventy  years'  captivity  before  his 
mind.  When  the  Lord  sends  his  answer  by  Ga- 
briel, he  too  understands  that  the  seventy  years  of 
captivity  are  present  to  Daniel's  thought,  and 
therefore  he  only  needs  to  say:  'Not  that  seventy 
years  are  assigned  before  the  next  great  event,  but 
seventy  sevens.'  On  the  strength,  then,  of  .these 
two  considerations,  either  of  them  sufficient  alone, 
and  both  entirely  decisive,  I  account  this  period 
precisely  seventy  sevens  of  years,  or  four  hundred 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ*       71 

and  ninety  years.  The  same  usage  prevails 
throughout  this  passage  in  the  'seven  weeks,'  the 
'  sixty-two  weeks,'  and  the  '  one  week/  The  word 
'  heptad,'  transferred  from  the  Greek  language, 
precisely  translates  the  original  Hebrew.  Or  we 
might  say  a  seven,  meaning  a  period  of  seven  units, 
leaving  the  particular  sense  of  the  unit  to  be  learned 
from  the  contexts.  Hence  this  is  not  by  any  means 
a  case  of  a  day  for  a  year.  It  is  only  a  case  of 
using  a  Hebrew  word  meaning  a  seven,  a  heptad, 
a  period  of  seven  units,  selecting  a  form  that  does 
not  suggest  a  unit  of  days,  but  a  unit  of  years." 

Here  then  is  the  meaning  of  this  passage  as  we 
understand  it.  The  thought  centers  upon  the  set- 
ting up  of  the  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  means 
by  which  it  is  accomplished,  and  the  results  to  the 
Jewish  people  that  will  follow. 

Daniel's  thoughts  in  his  scriptural  research  is 
upon  the  seventy  years  of  the  captivity  and  its  ter- 
mination. Gabriel  tells  him  seven  seventies  or  four 
hundred  and  ninety  years  are  determined  upon  his- 
people,  and  the  holy  city  for  the  sacrifice  of  Jesus. 
Christ  for  the  sins  of  the  world.  By  the  death  of 
Jesus  he  will  finish  the  transgression,  make  an  end 
of  sins,  and  make  reconciliation  for  iniquity.  In? 
other  words,  he  will  atone  for  sins.  The  word1 
atonement  means  to  cover.  He  will,  with  his 
blood,  cover  sins  and  bring  in  everlasting  right- 
eousness. The  Mosaic  economy  was  to  pass 
away,,  but  the  purely  spiritual  worship  to  be 
brought  in  by  Christ  was  never  to  be  changed :  it 


72        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

was  "  everlasting."  When  he  should  come,  the 
great  prophet  like  unto  Moses,  they  should  heark- 
en unto  him:  no  more  should  visions  be  needed, 
no  more  should  prophets  be  required.  He  "was 
the  true  light,  which  lighteth  every  man  that 
cometh  into  the  world."  Men  were  now  to  go 
into  all  the  world  and  preach  his  gospel,  tell 
what  he  said,  call  men  to  him  as  the  only  Saviour; 
hence  he  would  seal  up  the  vision  and  prophecy. 
But  he  would  pour  out  his  spirit  upon  the  Church, 
thus  anointing  the  Most  Holy,  enduing  it  with 
his  power.  All  nations  should  come  unto  him, 
and  righteousness  should  coyer  the  earth  as  the 
waters  cover  the  sea.  His  kingdom  not  being  of 
this  world,  any  man  could  hold  allegiance  to  his 
earthly  government  and  yet  belong  to  his  king- 
dom. 

Now  Gabriel  begins  to  fix  certain  points  in  his- 
tory from  which  to  count.  "  From  the  going  forth 
of  the  commandment  to  restore  and  to  build  Jeru- 
salem, unto  the  Messiah  the  Prince,  shall  be  seven 
weeks,  and  threescore  and  two  weeks."  Let  us 
remember  that  this  is  not  the  decree  issued  by  Cy- 
rus (B.C.  536)  to  rebuild  the  temple,  or,  as  he  ex- 
presses it,  to  "  build  a  house  for  God  in  Jerusa- 
lem;" but  the  one  by  Artaxerxes  (B.C.  454),  when 
he  gave  commandment  to  Nehemiah  to  go  and  re- 
build, not  the  temple  (for  that  had  been  built  al- 
ready), but  Jerusalem.  (See  the  first  and  second 
chapters  of  Nehemiah.)  From  this  commandment 
(454  B.C.)  "unto  the  Messiah  the  Prince,  shall 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       73 

be  seven  weeks,  and  threescore  and  two  weeks," 
making  sixty-nine  weeks  of  years,  or  four  hundred 
and  eighty-three  years.  Then  it  shall  be  four 
hundred  and  eighty-three  years  from  that  com- 
mandment to  the  commencement  of  the  ministry 
of  Jesus.  Jesus  began  his  ministry  in  A.D.  29. 
454+29=483.  Again  Luke  iii.  i  tells  us  that 
John  commenced  his  ministry  in  the  fifteenth  year 
of  Tiberius  Cagsar — /.  e.~, in  the  year  of  Rome  782. 
The  birth  of  Jesus  Christ  is  usually  put  in  the  year 
of  Rome  753.  Now  if  we  add  twenty-nine  to  that, 
we  have  782. 

There  is  a  division  of  the  first  number  "seven 
weeks  [49],  and  threescore  and  two  [62]  weeks." 
It  is  thought  the  forty-nine  weeks  of  years  indicate 
the  time  in  which  the  city  of  Jerusalem  was  build- 
ing. "The  street  [houses  along  the  street]  shall 
be  built  again, -and  the  wall,  even  in  troublous 
times."  We  have  but  to  refer  to  the  book  of  Ne- 
hemiah  to  see  the  truth  of  this  when  "  half  of  the 
men  wrought  in  the  work,  and  the  other  half  of 
them  held  both  the  spears,  the  shields,  and  the 
bows,  and  the  habergeons;"  and  where  all  that 
wrought  "worked  with  one  hand  and  with  the 
other  hand  held  a  weapon."  "And  after  three- 
score and  two  weeks  shall  Messiah  be  cut  off,  but 
not  for  himself."  Christ  was  crucified  just  at  this 
time,  "  but  not  for  himself."  We  find  the  New 
Version  to  read  "  and  shall  have  nothing."  His 
people  rejected  him.  "  He  came  unto  his  own,  and 
his  own  received  him  not."  They  cried:  "  Cruci- 


74        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

fy  him  !  "  "  We  have  no  king  but  Cagsar."  So  he 
rejects  them,  and  gives  them  up  to  their  doom. 
Hear  what  that  is:  "And  the  people  of  the  prince 
that  shall  come  shall  destroy  the  city  and  the  sanct- 
uary; and  the  end  thereof  shall  be  with  a  flood, 
and  unto  the  end  of  the  war  desolations  are  deter- 
mined.'' The  prince  here  is  Titus,  and  the  peo- 
ple of  the  prince  the  Roman  army.  They  did 
come,  and  destroyed  the  city  and  the  sanctuary, 
rolling  over  their  ruined  homes  like  a  "  flood." 
Their  whole  land  was  made  desolate.  Greater 
distresses  no  people  ever  endured. 

"And  he  shall  confirm  the  covenant  with  many 
for  one  week:  and  in  the  midst  of  the  week  he 
shall  cause  the  sacrifice  and  the  oblation  to  cease." 
The  Jews  were  in  the  habit  of  dividing  their  time 
into  "  sevens,"  and  the  ministry  of  Christ  is  reck- 
oned to  take  place  in  a  week  of  years.  But  in  the 
midst  of  it  he,  the  great  sacrifice  for  sin,  was  of- 
fered, and  this  ended  forever  the  virtue  of  Jewish 
sacrifices  and  oblations.  He  caused  them  to  cease, 
not  as  under  Antiochus — for  "time  and  times  and 
the  dividing  of  time  " — but  forever.  "And  for  the 
overspreading  of  abominations  he  shall  make  it 
desolate,  even  until  the  consummation,  and  that 
determined  shall  be  poured  upon  the  desolate." 
This  indicates  that  God  had  given  up  the  city  to 
the  desolator  because  of  the  abominations  there 
were  in  the  midst  of  it.  Corruption  was  in  all  her 
borders,  and  now  the  Roman  eagle  would  swoop 
down  upon  it  until  its  full  desolation  was  consum- 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       75 

mated.  Three  times  now  had  God,  in  visions,  re- 
vealed the  same  things  to  Daniel,  and  through  him 
to  his  people.  Each  vision  brings  him  more  and 
more  into  the  light  of  his  purposed  dealing  with 
his  people,  and  yet  the  soul  of  this  great  man  was 
not  satisfied.  He  would  know  it  all;  and  having 
succeeded  by  prayer  and  supplication  before,  he 
tries  it  again.  He  says:  "  I  Daniel  was  mourning 
three  full  weeks.  I  ate  no  pleasant  bread,  neither 
came  flesh  nor  wine  in  my  mouth,  neither  did  I 
anoint  myself  at  all,  till  three  whole  weeks  were 
fulfilled."  Such  earnestness  as  that  must  bring 
the  desire  of  his  heart.  He  is  now  an  old  man. 
He  had  been  in  the  East  now  about  seventy-four 
years;  had  been  the  prime  minister  under  the  sev- 
eral kings  of  Chaldea  and  Medo-Persia  from  Neb- 
uchadnezzar to  Cyrus.  Many  of  his  brethren  had, 
under  the  decree  of  Cyrus,  gone  back  to  Jerusa- 
lem, and  were  busy  building  the  temple;  but  he 
was  still  retained  in  the  service  of  the  king,  whom, 
doubtless,  he  had  influenced  to  liberate  his  breth- 
ren. Perhaps  he  felt  that  he  could  serve  his  peo- 
ple to  better  advantage  in  the  court  of  their  king 
than  in  Jerusalem,  especially  at  his  advanced  age. 
That  he  still  loved  his  country  and  his  people  is 
evidenced  by  this  all-prevailing  prayer,  with  which 
he  obtained  information  for  them  more  valuable 
than  gold. 


CHAPTER  V. 

The    Fourth   Parallel  Vision — The   Angel  Comes   to   Explain 
What  Should  Befall  the  Jews — Michael  the  Archangel. 

"  TN  the  third  year  of  Cyrus  king  of  Persia  a 
-I-  thing  was  revealed  unto  Daniel,  whose  name 
was  called  Belteshazzar;  and  the  thing  was  true, 
but  the  time  appointed  was  long:  and  he  under- 
stood the  thing,  and  had  understanding  of  the  vis- 
ion." A  thing  was  revealed.  Not  only  were  the 
symbols  given,  but  the  revealing  angel  at  last 
dropped  all  figure  of  speech,  and  talked  to  him  as 
a  man  talks  to  his  fellow-man.  "The  time  ap- 
pointed was  long"  does  not  give  the  idea.  The 
New  Version  has  it  more  correctly:  "And  the 
thing  was  true,  even  a  great  warfare."  As  we 
shall  find,  the  subject-matter  of  this  vision  pertains 
to  great  wars.  It  was  so  plain  as  revealed  to  him 
that  he  understood  it.  This  vision  is  the  fourth 
and  last  of  the  great  parallel  visions  of  Daniel. 
We  will  find  it  going  over  the  same  ground  and 
revealing  the  same  facts,  with  some  additions,  with 
less  of  symbols,  and  more  of  plain  revelations. 

"In  those  days  I  Daniel  was  mourning  three 
full  weeks.  I  ate  no  pleasant  bread,  neither 
came  flesh  nor  wine  in  my  mouth,  neither  did  I 
anoint  myself  at  all,  till  three  whole  weeks  were 
fulfilled." 

"The  'three  full  weeks'  and  the  *  three  whole 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       77 

weeks '  here  are  the  same,  and  literally  mean  *  three 
sevens'  (or  heptads)  as  to  days,  the  word  'days' 
being  added  to  exclude  what  otherwise  a  Hebrew 
reader  would  think  of:  a  week  of  years.  The 
word  for  *  seven  '  is  precisely  the  same  in  form 
that  occurred  repeatedly  in  the  passage  of  chapter 
ix.  24-27." 

"And  in  the  four  and  twentieth  day  of  the  first 
month,  as  I  was  by  the  side  of  the  great  river, 
which  is  Hiddekel;  then  I  lifted  up  mine  eyes, 
and  looked,  and  behold  a  certain  man  clothed  in 
linen,  whose  loins  were  girded  with  fine  gold  of 
Uphaz :  his  body  also  was  like  the  beryl,  and  his 
face  as  the  appearance  of  lightning,  and  his  eyes 
as  lamps  of  fire,  and  his  arms  and  his  feet  like  in 
color  to  polished  brass,  and  the  voice  of  his  words 
like  the  voice  of  a  multitude." 

Hiddekel  is  another  name  for  the  Tigris  River. 
This  was  a  heavenly  visitant  revealing  himself  to 
Daniel  for  the  purpose  of  communicating  certain 
facts  to  him  with  reference  to  his  people. 

"And  I  Daniel  alone  saw  the  vision:  for  the  men 
that  were  with  me  saw  not  the  vision ;  but  a  great 
quaking  fell  upon  them,  so  that  they  fled  to  hide 
themselves." 

His  companions,  terrified  at  the  sight  that  was 
presented  to  them,  left  him  alone. 

"  Therefore  I  was  left  alone,  and  saw  this  great 
vision,  and  there  remained  no  strength  in  me:  for 
my  comeliness  was  turned  in  me  into  corruption, 
and  I  retained  no  strength." 


78        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

He  stood  his  ground,  although  overcome  by  the 
sight,  and  hence  he  alone  saw  it  all. 
*  "Yet  I  heard  the  voice  of  his  words:  and  when 
I  heard  the  voice  of  his  words,  then  was  I  in  a  deep 
sleep  on  my  face,  and  my  face  toward  the  ground. 
And,  behold,  a  hand  touched  me,  which  set  me 
upon  my  knees  and  upon  the  palms  of  my  hands. 
And  he  said  unto  me,  O  Daniel,  a  man  greatly  be- 
loved, understand  the  words  that  I  speak  unto 
thee,  and  stand  upright:  for  unto  thee  am  I  now 
sent.  And  when  he  had  spoken  this  word  unto 
me,  I  stood  trembling.  Then  said  he  unto  me, 
-Fear  not,  Daniel:  for  from  the  first  day  that  thou 
didst  set  thine  heart  to  understand,  and  to  chasten 
thyself  before  thy  God,  thy  words  were  heard,  and 
I  am  come  for  thy  words.  But  the  prince  of  the 
kingdom  of  Persia  withstood  me  one  and  twenty 
days:  but,  lo,  Michael,  one  of  the  chief  princes, 
came  to  help  me;  and  I  remained  there  with  the 
kings  of  Persia." 

For  three  weeks  Daniel  had  been  mourning  and 
desiring  a  full  revelation  of  certain  events  concern- 
ing his  people,  much  t)f  which  had  already  been 
revealed  unto  him.  He  was  now  nearing  the  end 
of  life.  God  had  blessed  him  with  three  vis- 
ions or  revelations,  each  one  giving  more  of  light 
and  knowledge  than  the  former,  and  now  he  set 
his  heart  to  find  out  all  that  God  was  willing  to  re- 
veal to  him.  The  scene  manifested  as  the  heav- 
enly instructor  approaches  is  grand  in  the  extreme, 
and  the  effect  upon  the  old  prophet  is  overpower- 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       79 

ing.  He  explains  to  him  the  cause  of  his  delay  in 
coming  to  his  call.  The  prince  of  the  kingdom  of 
Persia  withstood  him  one  and  twenty  days.  It  does 
not  lie  within  our  province  now  to  inquire  into  the 
nature  and  meaning  of  this  invisible  contest.  It  is 
sufficient  for  our  purpose  to  know  that  the  contest 
did  take  place,  and  that  this  was  the  cause  of  the 
delay.  But  the  difficulty  had  been  cleared  away, 
and  he  says : 

"  Now  I  am  come  to  make  thee  understand  what 
shall  befall  thy  people  in  the  latter  days :  for  yet 
the  vision  is  for  many  days." 

This  is  the  key  to  the  entire  vision.  It  was  to 
reveal  to  Daniel  what  should  befall  his  people,  the 
Jews,  not  some  other  remote  nation.  If  we  will 
bear  this  in  mind,  it  will  help  us  much  in  arriving 
at  the  truth  of  the  vision.  Then  it  was  what  was 
to  befall  his  people  in  the  latter  days.  This  term 
has  various  meanings,  or  refers  to  various  times. 
Jacob,  when  he  had  called  his  sons  about  him  just 
before  dying,  said:  "  Gather  yourselves  together, 
that  I  may  tell  you  that  which  shall  befall  you  in 
the  last  days."  The  great  body  of  the  facts  in 
this  prophecy  refers  to  events  long  prior  to  the 
coming  of  Christ.  Baalam  advertises  Balak  what 
Israel  shall  do  to  his  people  in  the  latter  days. 
These  events  transpired  in  the  days  of  David. 
(Num.  xxiv.  14.)  Isaiah  (ii.  2),  when  prophesying 
of  the  days  of  Christ,  calls  the  time  "  the  last 
days."  Micah  (iv.  i)  uses  the  same  term  with 
reference  to  the  same  time  and  event.  But  these 


80        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

are  sufficient  to  justify  us  in  placing  the  events  of 
this  prophecy,  especially  as  the  facts  demand  it, 
at  a  time  prior  to  the  coming  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the 
flesh.  In  fact,  the  events  prophesied  transpired 
about  three  hundred  and  sixty  years  after  the  rev- 
elation made  to  Daniel.  The  last  clause  does  not 
change  this  construction,  for  the  word  "  many"  is 
not  in  the  original;  it  is  "  for  yet  the  vision  is  for 
days,"  meaning  that  it  was  not  to  transpire  imme- 
diately, but  some  time  in  the  future.  Some  years 
must  elapse  before  the  main  events  should  trans- 
pire. 

44  And  when  he  had  spoken  such  words  unto  me, 
I  set  my  face  toward  the  ground,  and  I  became 
dumb.  And,  behold,  one  like  the  similitude  of  the 
sons  of  men  touched  my  lips:  then  I  opened  my 
mouth,  and  spake,  and  said  unto  him  that  stood 
before  me,  O  my  lord,  by  the  vision  my  sorrows 
are  turned  upon  me,  and  I  have  retained  no 
strength.  For  how  can  the  servant  of  this  my  lord 
talk  with  this  my  lord?  for  as  for  me,  straightway 
there  remained  no  strength  in  me,  neither  is  there 
breath  left  in  me." 

Daniel  had  thought  and  prayed  so  much  and  so 
earnestly  for  his  people,  and  he  had  already  had 
revealed  to  him  so  much  of  their  coming  sorrows, 
that  now  as  another  heavenly  messenger  stood  be- 
fore him  with  fresh  revelations,  in  his  age  and  the 
excitement  of  the  hour,  he  was  utterly  prostrate : 
no  strength,  and  hardly  breath,  was  left  in  him. 
He  was  overcome  at  the  prospect  of  receiving  an 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       81 

answer  to  his  prayer  of  three  weeks'  duration.  But 
as  he  lay  breathless  upon  the  ground  he  says  : 

"Then  there  came  again  and  touched  me  one 
like  the  appearance  of  a  man,  and  he  strengthened 
me,  and  said,  O  man  greatly  beloved,  fear  not: 
peace  be  unto  thee;  be  strong,  yea,  be  strong. 
And  when  he  had  spoken  unto  me,  I  was  strength- 
ened, and  said,  Let  my  lord  speak;  for  thou  hast 
strengthened  me." 

He  was  thus  prepared  and  strengthened  to  re- 
ceive the  vision. 

"  Then  said  he,  Knowest  thou  wherefore  I  come 
unto  thee?  and  now  will  I  return  to  fight  with  the 
prince  of  Persia:  and  when  I  am  gone  forth,  lo, 
the  prince  of  Grecia  shall  come.  But  I  will  show 
thee  that  which  is  noted  in  the  Scripture  of  truth: 
and  there  is  none  that  holdeth  with  me  in  these 
things,  but  Michael  your  prince." 

The  angel  interpreter  had  not  come  without  op- 
position, nor  did  this  opposition  cease  with  his 
coming.  The  prince  of  the  kingdom  of  Persia,  as 
we  learn  from  verse  13,  had  hindered  his  coming 
for  three  weeks,  and  now  while  engaged  in  fight- 
ing with  the  prince  of  Persia,  lo !  the  prince  of 
Greece  came  upon  the  scene.  But  this  valiant  an- 
gel gives  Daniel  to  understand  that,  notwithstand- 
ing this  opposition,  he  would  show  him  what  was 
noted  in  the  scripture  of  truth — not  the  Bible  as  we 
possess  it,  but  what  God  had  written  with  refer- 
ence to  his  people.  He  also  informed  Daniel  that 
he  had  a  strong  ally  in  the  person  of  Michael,  his 


82       The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

prince.  There  have  been  various  opinions  with 
reference  to  Michael.  Without  reference  to  these 
opinions,  we  believe  Michael  to  be  none  other  than 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Twice  only  is  the  term 
"  archangel "  used  in  the  Scripture,  and  each  time 
preceded  by  the  definite  article,  thus  showing  that 
there  is  but  one  archangel,  and  that  this  archangel 
is  Michael.  Jude  says:  "  Michael  the  archangel, 
when  contending  with  the  devil,"  etc.  Paul  says 
(i  Thess.  iv.  16):  "  For  the  Lord  himself  shall  de- 
scend from  heaven  with  a  shout,  with  the  voice  of 
the  archangel,  and  with  the  trump  of  God."  Jesus 
says  (John  v.  28,  29) :  "All  that  are  in  the  graves 
shall  hear  his  voice,  and  shall  come  forth/'  Then 
the  voice  of  the  archangel  and  the  voice  of  Jesus 
must  be  the  same. 

Here  the  revealing  angel  calls  Michael  Daniel's 
prince,  and  in  chapter  xii.  he  says  of  him:  *' Mich- 
ael shall  stand  up,  the  great  prince  which  standeth 
for  the  children  of  thy  people."  Taking  all  these 
things  together,  we  are  assured  that  this  great 
prince,  this  archangel  whose  voice  is  to  wake  the 
dead  at  the  last  day,  is  Jesus  Christ.  He  then 
stands  with  this  revealing  angel,  and  the  assurance 
is  enough  to  comfort  Daniel  in  his  ardent  desire  to 
know  what  shall  befall  his  people. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Kings  of  Persia — Xerxes — Alexander — Egypt  and  Syria, 
Their  Wars  and  Intrigues — Antiochus  Epiphanes;  His  Vile- 
ness;  His  Punishment  of  the  Jews;  He  Profanes  the  Temple 
— The  Daily  Sacrifice  Taken  Away — Persecutions  of  the  Jews 
— Judas  Maccabeus — Death  of  Antiochus  Epiphanes. 

WE  come  now  in  this  eleventh  chapter  to  the 
explanation  of  the  fourth  and  last  parallel 
vision  made  to  Daniel. 

It  does  not  begin  with  Nebuchadnezzer.  He 
and  his  kingdom  had  passed  away.  The  vision 
reaches  back  but  a  few  years,  only  for  the  purpose 
of  forming  the  connecting  link.  After  the  intro- 
ductory remarks  of  the  angel,  "Also  I  in  the  first 
year  of  Darius  the  Mede,  even  I,  stood  to  confirm 
and  strengthen  him,"  as  Darius  was  carrying  out 
the  purpose  of  God  as  developed  in  his  history, 
this  good  angel  stood  to  confirm  and  strengthen 
him.  In  the  second  verse  the  revelation  properly 
begins. 

"And  now  will  I  show  thee  the  truth.  Be- 
hold, there  shall  stand  up  yet  three  kings  in  Per- 
sia; and  the  fourth  shall  be  far  richer  than  they 
all;  and  by  his  strength  through  his  riches  he  shall 
stir  up  all  against  the  realm  of  Grecia."  This  vis- 
ion is  not  like  the  former,  given  in  symbols,  but  in 
plain  language,  narrating  briefly  the  great  events 
that  are  to  take  place.  Three  kings  after  Cyrus, 

(833 


84        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

from  whose  reign  the  prophecy  begins,  were  to  sit 
on  the  throne  before  Xerxes — viz.,  Cambyses,  Sim- 
erdis,  and  Darius  Hystaspis.  They  are  only  men- 
tioned to  give  the  proper  place  to  the  fourth,  who 
by  his  strength  and  riches  stirred  up  all  against  the 
realm  of  Grecia.  No  fact  in  history  is  better  at- 
tested than  this;  that  Xerxes  gathered  to  his  stand- 
ard nearly  all  .of  Asia  for  the  purpose  of  invading 
the  little  kingdom  of  Greece.  Various  estimates 
have  been  made  of  the  wealth  of  his  armament  and 
the  number  of  his  soldiers.  The  lowest  estimate 
gives  the  number  at  five  millions  of  men,  while  un- 
told wealth  was  lavished  upon  the  outfit.  History 
gives  account  of  no  such  display  as  this.  There 
was  nothing  in  the  shape  of  soldiers  or  money  that 
this  monarch  did  not  command.  All  Asia  gathered 
to  his  standard  as  they  never  did  to  any  other 
man's.  So  he  actually  "stirred  up  all  against 
the  realm  of  Grecia,"  but  this  is  all  that  is  said 
about  it.  Never  was  there  a  more  signal  failure. 
Hence  the  revealing  angel  passes  on. 

"And  a  mighty  king  shall  stand  up,  that  shall 
rule  with  great  dominion,  and  do  according  to  his 
will.  And  when  he  shall  stand  up,  his  kingdom  shall 
be  broken,  and  shall  be  divided  toward  the  four 
winds  of  heaven ;  and  not  to  his  posterity,  nor  ac- 
cording to  his  dominion  which  he  ruled:  for  his 
kingdom  shall  be  plucked  up,  even  for  others  be- 
sides those." 

With  rapid  touches  the  angel  brings  the  con- 
queror of  the  Persians  to  view,  Alexander  the 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.        85 

Great,  and  in  few  but  forcible  words  tells  that  he 
shall  stand  up,  rule  with  great  dominion,  and  do 
according  to  his  will,  and  then  while  in  the  midst 
of  his  power  and  dominion  his  kingdom  shall  be 
broken  and  divided  to  the  four  winds  of  heaven, 
and  not  to  his  posterity,  etc.  The  Greeks  never 
could  forgive  the  wrong  done  them  by  Xerxes,  and 
when  Alexander  proposed  to  invade  Persia  thou- 
sands of  eager,  willing  soldiers  flocked  to  his 
standard,  and  with  one  fell  blow  he  broke  the  pow- 
er of  Persia,  and  during  his  life  did  according  to 
his  will.  But  just  as  he  had  made  selection  of 
Babylon  as  his  capital  and  was  planning  for  exten- 
sive commerce  he  died,  and  at  once  his  kingdom 
was  broken  and  divided  among  his  four  generals, 
not  a  son  of  his  ever  coming  to  the  throne  or  hold- 
ing sway  over  any  part  of  his  vast  dominions. 

"And  the  king  of  the  south  shall  be  strong,  and 
one  of  his  princes;  and  he  shall  be  strong  above 
him,  and  have  dominion;  his  dominion  shalt  be  a 
great  dominion." 

The  angel  interpreter  only  deals  with  those  na- 
tions that  were  to  come  in  contact  with  Daniel's 
people,  or  whose  movements  were  to  affect  them; 
so  he  begins  a  rapid  sketch  of  the  two  kingdoms, 
Egypt  and  Syria,  filling  the  interval  between  their 
rise  and  the  reign  of  Antiochus  Epiphanes  with 
their  wars,  intrigues,  treaties,  and  perfidies. 

The  king  of  the  south  is  Ptolemy  Lagus,  a  man 
of  great  wisdom  and  power.  He  was  one  of  Alex- 
ander's chief  generals.  He  founded  his  kingdom 


86        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

of  Egypt  B.C.  323.  But  there  was  another  strong- 
er than  he.  This  is  Seleucus  Nicator,  another 
one  of  Alexander's  generals,  who  founded  the 
Syrian  kingdom  B.C.  312.  His  kingdom  was  in- 
deed very  powerful,  embracing  almost  all  that 
Alexander  ever  held  in  Asia.  The  angel  mentions 
these  two  particularly,  because  in  their  movements 
they  affected  more  or  less  the  Jewish  nation,  Dan- 
iel's people. 

1  'And  in  the  end  of  years  they  shall  join  them- 
selves together;  for  the  king's  daughter  of  the 
south  shall  come  to  the  king  of  the  north  to  make 
an  agreement:  but  she  shall  not  retain  the  power 
of  the  arm;  neither  shall  he  stand,  nor  his  arm: 
but  she  shall  be  given  up,  and  they  that  brought 
her,  and  he  that  begat  her,  and  he  that  strength- 
ened her  in  these  times." 

Here  we  find  the  angel  interpreter  passing  over 
a  considerable  period  of  time,  as  nothing  particu- 
larly affecting  the  Jews  occurred  in  this  time.  He 
brings  the  narrative  down  to  the  time  of  Antiochus 
Theos,  King  of  Syria.  "This  Theos,  after  long 
and  fruitless  wars  with  his  Egyptian  rival,  Ptolemy 
Philadelphus,  at  last  patched  up  a  compromise 
('  they  joined  themselves  together'),  which,  being 
utterly  iniquitous,  could  not  stand.  The  historical 
facts  are  these:  He  divorced  his  wife,  Laodice, 
and  married  Berenice,  daughter  of  Philadelphus. 
Two  years  after,  Philadelphus,  now  aged,  died. 
Theos  soon  divorced  his  Egyptian  wife  and  re- 
stored his  Syrian.  But  the  latter  had  Jlost  confi- 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       87 

dence  in  her  husband,  and,  stung  by  his  abuse, 
took  him  off  by  poison.  She  then  secured  the 
kingdom  for  her  own  son,  Seleucus  Callinicus, 
who  managed  to  murder  his  mother's  rival,  Bere- 
nice, with  her  son  and  servants.  Thus  the  com- 
promise availed  only  to  the  ruin  of  both  the  guilty 
parties  to  this  infamous  marriage.  Neither  of  them 
1  retained  the  power  of  the  arm,'  the  military  pow- 
er, not  even  to  the  extent  of  self -protection." 

"But  out  of  a  branch  of  her  roots  shall  one 
stand  up  in  his  estate,  which  shall  come  with  an 
army,  and  shall  enter  into  the  fortress  of  the  king 
of  the  north,  and  shall  deal  against  them,  and  shall 
prevail:  and  shall  also  carry  captives  into  Egypt 
their  gods,  with  their  princes,  and  with  their  pre- 
cious vessels  of  silver  and  of  gold;  and  he  shall 
continue  more  years  than  the  king  of  the  north. 
So  the  king  of  the  south  shall  come  into  his  king- 
dom, and  shall  return  into  his  own  land." 

The  third  Ptolemy,  brother  of  Berenice,  is  here 
spoken  of  as  one  "  out  of  a  branch  of  her  roots." 
They  came  from  the  same  parentage.  His  wars 
with  the  King  of  Syria  were  very  successful.  He 
defeated  him  in  every  engagement,  and  ravaged  the 
greater  portion  of  his  kingdom,  taking  great  spoils. 
He  also  removed  and  took  back  into  Egypt  twenty- 
five  hundred  idols  (see  verse  8),  most  of  which 
Cambyses  had  carried  from  Egypt  into  Persia 
nearly  three  hundred  years  before.  This  fixes 
with  unerring  certainty  these  facts  of  history  upon 
this  time  and  upon  this  man.  It  is  one  of  the 


88        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

threads  that  guides  us  unerringly  through  the 
mazes  of  this  prophecy.  Ptolemy  reigned  twenty- 
five  years;  his  rival,  Seleucus  Callinicus,  but 
twenty,  thus  he  "continued  more  years  than  the 
king  of  the  north." 

"  But  his  sons  shall  be  stirred  up,  and  shall  as- 
semble a  multitude  of  great  forces:  and  one  shall 
certainly  come,  and  overflow,  and  pass  through: 
then  shall  he  return,  and  be  stirred  up,  even  to  his 
fortress." 

The  two  sons  of  this  king,  Seleucus  Ceraunus 
and  Antiochus  the  Great,  made  great  efforts  and 
raised  large  armies,  and  pursued  their  conquests 
even  to  the  fortresses  of  Egypt. 

"And  the  king  of  the  south  shall  be  moved  with 
choler,  and  shall  come  forth  and  fight  with  him, 
even  with  the  king  of  the  north:  and  he  shall  set 
forth  a  great  multitude ;  but  the  multitude  shall  be 
given  into  his  hand.  And  when  he  hath  taken 
away  the  multitude,  his  heart  shall  be  lifted  up; 
and  he  shall  cast  down  many  ten  thousands:  but 
he  shall  not  be  strengthened  by  it." 

Ptolemy  Philopater,  the  King  of  Egypt,  exasper- 
ated by  the  near  approach  of  this  vast  army  that 
stood  at  his  very  doors  and  threatened  this  key  to 
his  kingdom,  went  forth  to  fight  with  the  king  of 
the  north;  and  at  the  battle  of  Raphia,  near  Gaza 
(B.C.  217),  he  overcame  the  army  of  Antiochus 
the  Great,  and  the  power  passed  into  his  hands; 
but  he  was  not  permanently  strengthened  by  it, 
though  he  "  cast  down  many  ten  thousands." 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       89 

"For  the  king  of  the  north  shall  return,  and 
shall  set  forth  a  multitude  greater  than  the  former, 
and  shall  certainly  come  after  certain  years  with  a 
great  army  and  with  much  riches.  And  in  those 
times  there  shall'  many  stand  up  against  the  king 
of  the  south:  also  the  robbers  of  thy  people  shall 
exalt  themselves  to  establish  the  vision;  but  they 
shall  fall." 

Antiochus  the  Great  raises  another  army  and 
comes  again  against  the  Egyptians.  The  King  of 
Egypt,  at  this  time  a'  mere  child,  was  assailed  by 
many  enemies.  Philip  of  Macedon  formed  an  al- 
liance with  Antiochus,  while  some  of  the  violent 
men  among  the  Jews  threw  off  their  allegiance  to 
Egypt.  But  they  failed,  and  only  established  the 
vision,  while  they  themselves  were  overwhelmed 
with  disaster. 

"  So  the  king  of  the  north  shall  come,  and  cast 
up  a  mount,  and  take  the  most  fenced  cities:  and 
the  arms  of  the  south  shall  not  withstand,  neither 
his  chosen  people,  neither  shall  there  be  any 
strength  to  withstand.  But  he  that  cometh  against 
him  shall  do  according  to  his  own  will,  and  none 
shall  stand  before  him:  and  he  shall  stand  in  the 
glorious  land,  which  by  his  hand  shall  be  con- 
sumed." 

Antiochus  besieged  and  took  Zidon,  Gaza,  and 
other  strong  cities.  He,  overcoming  all  opposi- 
tion, pressed  his  way  even  into  Palestine,  "the 
glorious  land,"  and  laid  waste  a  great  portion  of 
it.  He  besieged  Jerusalem,  subsisting  his  army 


90        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

in  the  meantime  in  the  land  of  Palestine,  thus 
"consuming"  it. 

"  He  shall  also  set  his  face  to  enter  with  the 
strength  of  his  whole  kingdom,  and  upright  ones 
with  him;  thus  shall  he  do:  and  he  shall  give 
him  the  daughter  of  women,  corrupting  her:  but 
she  shall  not  stand  on  his  side,  neither  be  for 
him." 

Antiochus  sets  his  heart  on  invading  Egypt, 
many  of  the  better  class  of  the  Jews  joining  his 
standard.  But  the  Romans'  interfered  and  frus- 
trated his  plans.  He  then  made  a  treaty  with 
Ptolemy,  giving  him  his  own  daughter  Cleopatra 
in  marriage,  with  the  provinces  of  Phoenicia  as  her 
dower.  He  hoped  that  she  would  be  true  to  him, 
her  father,  and  play  into  his  hands ;  but  in  this  he 
was  mistaken,  for  she  was  true  to  her  husband,  and 
thus  did  not  stand  on  his  (her  father's)  side,  nor 
be  for  him. 

4 'After  this  shall  he  turn  his  face  unto  the  isles, 
and  shall  take  many:  but  a  prince  for  his  own  be- 
half shall  cause  the  reproach  offered  by  him  to 
cease ;  without  his  own  reproach  he  shall  cause  it 
to  turn  upon  him.  Then  shall  he  turn  his  face  to- 
ward the  fort  of  his  own  land :  but  he  shall  stum- 
ble and  fall,  and  not  be  found." 

Antiochus  made  war  against  Greece  and  took 
many  of  the  isles  of  that  kingdom,  but  the  Roman 
prince  came  to  the  rescue  and  gained  a  signal  vic- 
tory over  him  at  Thermopylae  (B.C.  191),  and 
still  another  at  Magensia  the  following  year.  This 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       91 

completely  broke  the  power  of  Antiochus  the 
Great.  Compelled  to  relinquish  all  his  possessions 
west  of  Mount  Taurus,  a  heavy  tribute  was  laid 
upon  him,  exhausting  all  of  his  wealth  and  re- 
sources. To  raise  money  to  meet  his  pressing 
wants  he  made  a  raid  into  Elymais,  which  cost 
him  his  life. 

"Then  shall  stand  up  in  his  estate  a  raiser  of 
taxes  in  the  glory  of  the  kingdom:  but  within  few 
days  he  shall  be  destroyed,  neither  in  anger,  nor  in 
battle." 

This  was  Seleucus  Philopater,  the  son  of  Anti- 
ochus the  Great.  The  great  burden  of  paying  the 
tribute  of  a  thousand  talents  per  year  to  the  Ro- 
mans left  him  nothing  else  to  do  but  "raise  taxes 
in  the  glory  of  his  kingdom."  After  a  brief  reign 
of  eleven  years  he  was  poisoned,  thus  dying  "  nei- 
ther in  anger,  nor  in  battle." 

"And  in  his  estate  shall  stand  up  a  vile  person, 
to  whom  they  shall  not  give  the  honor  of  the  king- 
dom :  but  he  shall  come  in  peaceably,  and  obtain 
the  kingdoms  by  flatteries." 

This  rapid  sketch  of  the  revealing  angel  brings 
us  to  the  main  figure  of  this  prophecy,  Antiochus 
Epiphanes.  He  came  in  the  "estate"  of  his 
brother.  He  is  a  "vile  person  to  whom  they  shall 
not  give  the  honor  of  the  kingdom."  The  king- 
dom was  not  his  of  right,  but  belonged  legitimate- 
ly to  the  son  of  Seleucus  Philopater.  Antiochus 
had  been  a  hostage  at  Rome  for  thirteen  years,  and 
was  now  at  Athens  on  his  way  home  when  he 


92        The  Kingdom  and  Comings,  of  Christ. 

heard  of  the  death  of  his  brother.  He  at  once  laid 
his  plans  to  secure  the  crown.  Heliodorus,  who 
had  poisoned  his  master  and  usurped  the  throne, 
was  at  once  expelled  by  the  aid  of  Eumenes,  King 
of  Pergamos.  Elsewhere  we  have  spoken  of  the 
three  horns  plucked  up  by  him  in  his  ascent  to  the 
throne. 

That  he  was  a  "vile  person"  we  have  only  to 
look  at  the  pages  of  history  that  record  his  deeds. 
"  His  delight  was  to  play  the  buffoon,  in  getting  half 
drunk,  and  then  putting  himself  below  the  common 
level  of  even  tipsy,  silly  drunkards.  It  is  hard  to 
believe  that  a  king  would  rise  from  his  dinner  table 
heated  with  wine,  strip  himself  stark  naked,  and 
dance  round  the  hall  as  one  frantic,  with  the  low- 
est comedians.  History  can  scarcely  produce  an- 
other like  case  of  a  man  wearing  a  crown  who  de- 
based himself  so  low,  and  made  himself  so  vile  as 
this  same  Antiochus  Epiphanes." 

"And  with  the  arms  of  a  flood  shall  they  be 
overflown  from  before  him,  and  shall  be  broken; 
yea,  also  the  prince  of  the  covenant." 

Though  he  came  in  by  flatteries,  yet  he  was  not 
long  in  raising  an  army  and  asserting  his  authority 
at  the  point  of  the  sword. 

"The  prince  of  the  covenant"  was  the  high 
priest  of  the  Jews,  one  of  the  most  excellent  and 
venerable  of  men.  He  soon  fell  before  this  vile 
king  through  the  machinations  of  his  apostate  coun- 
trymen. 

And    after    the  league  made  with  him  he  shall 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       93 

work  deceitfully:  for  he  shall  come  up,  and  shall 
become  strong  with  a  small  people.  He  shall  en- 
ter peaceably  even  upon  the  fattest  places  of  the 
province;  and  he  shall  do  that  which  his  fathers 
have  not  done,  nor  his  fathers'  fathers;  he  shall 
scatter  among  them  the  prey,  and  spoil,  and  rich- 
es: yea,  and  he  shall  forecast  his  devices  against 
the  strongholds,  even  for  a  time. 

The  revealing  angel  here  shows  that  Antiochus 
made  a  league  with  that  apostate  Jew,  Jason,  whom 
he  made  high  priest  instead  of  the  good  Onias. 
He  was  to  pay  him  a  large  sum  for  this  office. 
When  he  sent  his  younger  brother,  Menelaus,  to 
carry  to  Antiochus  the  money  he  had  promised  for 
the  high  priesthood,  these  two  "worked  deceitful- 
ly," for  Menelaus  bidding  higher  than  his  brother 
for  the  priesthood,  Antiochus  repudiated  the  league 
he  had  made  with  Jason,  and  gave  the  priesthood 
to  him.  Thus  with  "  a  small  people"  he  gained 
a  foothold  in  Judea  and  became  strong. 

He  entered  upon  the  "  fattest  places  of  the  prov- 
ince," Arminia,  where  he  found  rich  booty,  and  he 
scattered  it  with  a  recklessness  and  prodigality  that 
excelled  any  thing  of  the  kind  ever  done  by  his  an- 
cestors. This  waste  of  treasure  seemed  merely  to 
gratify  a  silly  ambition  to  be  thought  more  liberal 
than  any  one  before  him. 

"And  he  shall  stir  up  his  power  and  his  courage 
against  the  king  of  the  south  with  a  great  army; 
and  the  king  of  the  south  shall  be  stirred  up  to 
battle  with  a  very  great  and  mighty  army ;  but  he 


94        The  Kingdom  arid  Comings  of  Christ. 

shall  not  stand:  for  they  shall  forecast  devices 
against  him.  Yea,  they  that  feed  of  the  portion  of 
his  meat  shall  destroy  him,  and  his  army  shall 
overflow:  and  many  shall  fall  down  slain.  And 
both  these  kings'  hearts  shall  be  to  do  mischief, 
and  they  shall  speak  lies  at  one  table ;  but  it  shall 
not  prosper:  for  yet  the  end  shall  be  at  the  time 
appointed." 

In  the  year  B.C.  170  Antiochus  raised  a  great 
army  with  which  to  invade  Egypt.  For  four  suc- 
cessive years  he  carried  on  this  war  of  invasion,  at 
last  subjugating  the  whole  country.  He  became 
the  nominal  protector  of  the  young  king,  Ptolemy 
Philometor,  and  had  precisely  the  intrigues  spoken 
of  in  verse  27:  "Both  these  kings'  hearts  shall  be 
to  do  mischief,  and  they  shall  speak  lies  at  one  ta- 
ble ' ' — yet  in  neither  case  availing  to  frustrate  the 
great  results  which  God  in  his  providence  had  in 
view,  "  for  yet  the  end  would  surely  be  at  the  time 
appointed."  The  Egyptian  king  was  young,  and 
imbecile  even  for  his  youth.  He  was  formally  in- 
augurated at  the  age  of  fourteen;  had  been  kept 
in  ignorance  and  inefficiency  by  the  artful  manage- 
ment of  his  tutors,  who  loved  and  sought  to  retain 
the  regal  power  which  his  minority  and  incompe- 
tence gave  them.  '  They  that  feed  of  the  portion 
of  his  meat  shall  destroy  him.'  ' 

"Then  shall  he  return  unto  his  land  with  great 
riches ;  and  his  heart  shall  be  against  the  holy  cov- 
enant; and  he  shall  do  exploits,  and  return  to  his 
own  land." 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       95 

While  Antiochus   Epiphanes  was    in  Egypt,   a 
rumor  was  circulated  in  Judea  that  he  was  dead, 
at  which  the  Jews  made  every  demonstration  of 
joy.    This  being  reported  to  Antiochus,  with  many 
exaggerations,  he   returned  in  a  furious   state  of 
mind,  fully  bent  on  taking  vengeance  of  the  Jews. 
With  the  spoils  of  Egypt,  with  which  he  had  been 
enriched,  he  hastened  to  Judea,  and  at  once  as- 
sailed Jerusalem.      Of  this  terrific  onslaught  the 
author  of  2  Maccabees  (v.  11-16)  says:    "  Remov- 
ing out  of  Egypt  in  a  furious  mind,  he  took  the 
city  by  force  of  arms,  and  commanded  his  men  of 
war  not  to  spare  such  as  they  met,  and  to  slay  such 
as  went  up  upon  the  houses.     Thus  there  was  kill- 
ing of  young  and  old,  making  away  of  men,  wom- 
en, and  children,  slaying  of  virgins  and  infants. 
And  there  were  destroyed  within  three  whole  days 
four  score  thousand,  whereof  forty  thousand  were 
slain  in  the  conflict;  and  no  fewer  sold  than  slain. 
Yet  was  he  not  content  with  this,  but  presumed  to 
go  into  the  most  holy  temple  of  all  the  world; 
Menelaus,  that  traitor  to  the  laws,  and  to  his  own 
country,  being  his  guide :  and  taking  the  holy  ves- 
sels with  polluted  hands,  and  with  profane  hands 
pulling  down   the  things  that  were  dedicated  by 
other  kings  to  the  augmentation  and  glory  and 
honor  of  the  place,  he  gave  them  away/'     "In 
this  scene  of  pillage  and  sacrilege,  Antiochus  found 
and  took  away  from  the  temple  eighteen  hundred 
talents  of  gold    [$41,304,000],  and  then  offered 
swine's  flesh  on  the  altar,  and  sprinkled  the  whole 


96        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

temple  with  the  broth  of  this  flesh.     After  these 
exploits  he  returned  to  his  own  land." 

"At  the  time  appointed  he  shall  return,  and 
come  toward  the  south ;  but  it  shall  not  be  as  the 
former,  or  as  the  latter.  For  the  ships  of  Chittim 
shall  come  against  him:  therefore  he  shall  be 
grieved,  and  return,  and  have  indignation  against 
the  holy  covenant:  so  shall  he  do;  he  shall  even 
return,  and  have  intelligence  with  them  that  for- 
sake the  holy  covenant." 

Philometor,  who  was  the  son  of  Cleopatra,  and 
therefore  the  nephew  of  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  was 
so  completely  under  the  control  of  Antiochus  that 
the  Egyptians  placed  his  brother,  Physcon,  on  the 
throne.  Antiochus  therefore  undertook  another 
expedition  to  Egypt  to  subdue  this  prince.  In  his 
first  battle  with  Physcon  he  was  successful.  Phys- 
con then  sought  the  help  and  intervention  of  the 
Romans.  By  Chittim,  as  Josephus  affirms,  we  are 
to  understand  the  Romans.  "An  embassy  of  three 
men  from  the  Roman  Senate  met  him  just  as  he 
was  about  to  lay  siege  to  Alexandria;  told  him 
they  had  taken  young  Physcon  under  their  protec- 
tion, and  that  he  must  desist,  or  have  war  with 
Rome.  Antiochus  indicating  a  wish  to  procrasti- 
nate, Tophilius  drew  a  circle  in  the  sand  about  his 
feet,  and  said :  *  Give  me  an  answer  before  youj:ross 
that  circle.*  He  yielded,  and  pledged  himself  to 
do  all  the  Senate  should  require.  He  dared  not 
offend  the  Roman  power.  But  he  chafed  like  a 
tiger  under  his  chain,  and  came  back  to  vent  his 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.       97 

rage  on  a  fallen  people,  the  Jews.  He  was 
' grieved^  in  this  very  selfish  sense,  and  let  loose 
his  indignation  against  the  holy  covenant  and  its 
people.  At  this  time,  and  for  several  years  pre- 
vious, he  had  intelligence  with  Jewish  apostates, 
kept  up  a  mutual  understanding  and  co-operation 
with  them,  and  made  great  use  of  their  aid  to  fur- 
ther his  designs." 

"And  arms  shall  stand  on  his  part,  and  they 
shall  pollute  the  sanctuary  of  strength,  and  shall 
take  away  the  daily  sacrifice,  and  they  shall  place 
the  abomination  that  maketh  desolate.  And  such 
as  do  wickedly  against  the  covenant  shall  he  cor- 
rupt by  flatteries:  but  the  people  that  do  know 
their  God  shall  be  strong,  and  do  exploits." 

In  the  year  B.C.  167  Antiochus  sent  an  army  of 
twenty-two  thousand,  under  Apollonius,  against  Je- 
rusalem. He  took  it  and  kept  it  as  his  stronghold. 
The  command  to  Apollonius  was  to  kill  all  the 
Jews  who  were  of  full  age,  and  to  sell  the  women 
and  young  men.  These  orders  were  punctually 
executed.  The  author  of  the  Maccabees  says: 
"Who  [Appolonius]  coming  to  Jerusalem,  and 
pretending  peace,  did  forbear  till  the  holy-day  of 
the  Sabbath,  when  taking  the  Jews  keeping  holy- 
day,  he  commanded  his  men  to  arm  themselves. 
And  so  he  slew  all  them  that  were  gone  to  the  cel- 
ebrating of  the  Sabbath,  and  running  through  the 
city  with  weapons  slew  great  multitudes.  But 
Judas  Maccabeus  with  nine  others,  or  thereabout, 
withdrew  himself  into  the  wilderness,  and  lived  in 
7 


98        The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

the  mountains  after  the  manner  of  beasts,  with 
his  company,  who  fed  on  herbs  continually,  lest 
they  should  be  partakers  of  the  pollution."  (2 
Mac.  v.  25-27.) 

These  misfortunes  were  only  the  preludes  of 
what  they  were  to  suffer,  for  Antiochus,  appre- 
hending that  the  Jews  would  never  be  constant  in 
their  obedience  to  him  unless  he  obliged  them  to 
change  their  religion  and  to  embrace  that  of  the 
Greeks,  issued  an  edict,  enjoining  them  to  con- 
form to  the  laws  of  other  nations,  and  forbidding 
their  usual  sacrifices  in  the  temple,  their  festivals, 
and  their  Sabbaths.  The  statue  of  Jupiter  Olym- 
pus was  placed  upon  the  altar  of  the  temple,  and 
thus  the  abomination  of  desolation  was  seen  in  the 
temple  of  God. 

Again  the  author  of  the  Maccabees  says:  "Not 
long  after  this  the  king  sent  an  old  man  of  Ath- 
ens to  compel  the  Jews  to  depart  from  the  laws 
of  their  fathers,  and  not  to  live  after  the  laws  of 
God:  and  to  pollute  also  the  temple  in  Jerusalem, 
and  to  call  it  the  temple  of  Jupiter  Olympius ;  and 
that  in  Garizim,  of  Jupiter  the  Defender  of  Strang- 
ers, as  they  did  desire  that  dwelt  in  the  place.  The 
coming  in  of  this  mischief  was  sore  and  grievous 
to  the  people.  .  .  .  The  altar  also  was  filled 
with  profane  things,  which  the  law  forbiddeth. 
Neither  was  it  lawful  for  a  man  to  keep  Sabbath- 
days  or  ancient  feasts,  or  to  profess  himself  at  all 
to  be  a  Jew.  And  in  the  day  of  the  king's  birth, 
every  month  they  were  brought  by  bitter  constraint 


U 


IVERSITY 


The  Kingaoin  and  Comings  of  Christ.       99 


to  eat  of  the  sacrifices;  and  when  the  feast  of 
Bacchus  was  kept,  the  Jews  were  compelled  to  go 
in  procession  to  Bacchus,  carrying  ivy."  (2  Mac. 
vi.  1-7.) 

And  again,  in  the  nth  verse  of  the  same  chap- 
ter: "And  others,  that  had  run  together  into  caves 
near  by,  to  keep  the  Sabbath-day  secretly,  being 
discovered  to  Philip,  were  all  burnt  together,  be- 
cause they  made  a  conscience  to  help  themselves 
for  the  honor  of  the  most  sacred  day."  And  that 
you  may  see  what  these  men  had  to  endure  during 
this  period,  see  verses  18-31  of  the  same  chap- 
ter: "  Eleazer,  one  of  the  principal  scribes,  an  aged 
man,  and  of  a  well-favored  countenance,  was  con- 
strained to  open  his  mouth,  and  to  eat  swine's  flesh. 
But  he,  choosing  rather  to  die  gloriously,  than  to 
live  stained  with  such  an  abomination,  spit  it  forth, 
and  came  of  his  own  accord  to  the  torment,  as  it 
behooved  them  to  come,  that  are  resolute  to  stand 
out  against  such  things,  as  are  not  lawful  for  love  of 
life  to  be  tasted.  But  they  that  had  the  charge  of 
that  wicked  feast,  for  the  old  acquaintance  they 
had  with  the  man,  taking  him  aside,  besought  him 
to  bring  flesh  of  his  own  provision,  such  as  was 
lawful  for  him  to  use,  and  make  as  if  he  did  eat  of 
the  flesh  taken  from  the  sacrifice  commanded  by 
the  king;  that  in  so  doing  he  might  be  delivered 
from  death,  and  for  the  old  friendship  with  them 
find  favor.  But  he  began  to  consider  discreetly, 
as  became  his  age,  and  the  excellency  of  his  an- 
cient years,  and  the  honor  of  his  gray  head,  where- 


IOO      The  Kingdom  and  Comings,  of  Christ. 

unto  he  was  come,  and  his  most  honest  education 
from  a  child,  or  rather  the  holy  law  made  and 
given  by  God:  therefore  he  answered  according- 
ly, and  willed  them  straightways  to  send  him  to 
the  grave.  For  it  becometh  not  our  age,  said  he, 
in  anywise  to  dissemble,  whereby  many  young 
persons  might  think  that  Eleazar,  being  four- 
score years  old  and  ten,  were  now  gone  to  a 
strange  religion:  and  so  they  through  mine  hy- 
pocrisy, and  desire  to  live  a  little  time  and  a  mo- 
ment longer,  should  be  deceived  by  me,  and  I  get 
a  stain  to  mine  old  age,  and  make  it  abominable. 
For  though  for  the  present  time  I  should  be  deliv- 
ered from  the  punishment  of  men:  yet  should  I 
not  escape  the  hand  of  the  Almighty,  neither  alive 
nor  dead.  Wherefore  now,  manfully  changing 
this  life,  I  will  show  myself  such  a  one  as  mine  age 
requireth,  and  leave  a  notable  example  to  such  as 
be  young,  to  die  willingly  and  courageously  for  the 
honorable  and  holy  laws.  And  when  he  had  said 
these  words,  immediately  he  went  to  the  torment: 
they  that  led  him  changing  the  good-will  they  bare 
him  a  little  before  into  hatred,  because  the  afore- 
said speeches  proceeded,  as  they  thought,  from  a 
desperate  mind.  But  \vhen  he  was  ready  to  die 
with  stripes,  he  groaned,  and  said,  It  is  manifest 
unto  the  Lord,  that  hath  the  holy  knowledge,  that 
whereas  I  might  have  been  delivered  from  death, 
I  now  endure  sore  pains  in  body  by  being  beaten: 
but  in  soul  am  well  content  to  suffer  these  things, 
because  I  fear  him.  And  thus  this  man  died, 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     101 

leaving  his  death  for  an  example  of  a  noble  cour- 
age, and  a  memorial  of  virtue,  not  only  unto  young 
men,  but  unto  all  his  nation." 

In  the  next  chapter  is  found  an  account  of  the 
constancy  and  cruel  death  of  seven  brothers  and 
their  mother,  one  of  the  most  remarkable  and 
memorable  in  the  annals  of  martyrs.  It  is  doubt- 
less those  of  these  times  of  whom  the  author  of  the 
Hebrews  speaks  when  he  says:  "They  were 
stoned,  they  were  sawn  asunder,  were  tempted, 
were  slain  with  the  sword:  they  wandered  about 
in  sheep-skins  and  in  goat-skins;  being  destitute, 
afflicted,  tormented;  of  whom  the  world  was  not 
worthy:  they  wandered  in  deserts,  and  in  mount- 
ains, and  in  dens  and  caves  of  the  earth." 

By  the  decree  of  Antiochus  the  temple  was  not 
only  profaned,  but  the  "daily  sacrifice  was  taken 
away."  The  book  of  Maccabees  makes  it  very 
plain  that  many  of  the  Jews  were  utterly  apos- 
tate from  the  service  and  worship  of  God.  They 
were  bribed  by  the  flatteries  of  this  vile  king. 
While  those  people  who  do  know  their  God  stood 
firm,  and  did  "exploits,"  Mattathias  of  Modin,  and 
Judas  Maccabeus,  and  others,  are  noble  examples 
of  courage,  strength,  and  constancy.  Hear  what 
the  aged  Mattathias  said:  "Woe  is  me!  wherefore 
was  I  born  to  see  this  misery  of  my  people,  and  of 
the  holy  city,  and  to  dwell  there,  when  it  was  deliv- 
ered into  the  hand  of  the  enemy,  and  the  sanctuary 
into  the  hand  of  strangers?  Her  temple  is  be- 
come as  a  man  without  glory.  Her  glorious  ves- 


IO2      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

sels  are  carried  away  into  captivity,  her  infants  are 
slain  in  the  streets,  her  young  men  with  the  sword 
of  the  enemy.  .  .  .  Behold,  our  sanctuary, 
even  our  beauty  and  our  glory,  is  laid  waste,  and 
the  Gentiles  have  profaned  it.  To  what  end 
therefore  shall  we  live  any  longer?" 

When  the  king's  officers  came  to  Modin  and 
plied  Mattathias  with  flatteries  and  with  bribes, 
pressing  him  to  be  the  first  to  fulfill  the  king's 
command  as  all  the  heathen  had  done,  he  cried 
with  a  Ipud  voice:  "  Though  all  the  nations  that 
are  under  the  king's  dominion  obey  him,  and  fall 
away  every  one  from  the  religion  of  their  fathers, 
and  give  consent  to  his  commandments :  yet  will  I 
and  my  sons  and  my  brethren  walk  in  the  covenant 
of  our  fathers.  God  forbid  that  we  should  forsake 
the  law  and  the  ordinances.  We  will  not  hearken 
to  the  king's  words,  to  go  from  our  religion,  either 
on  the  right  hand,  or  the  left.  Now  when  he  had 
left  speaking  these  words,  there  came  one  of  the 
Jews  in  the  sight  of  all  to  sacrifice  on  the  altar 
which  was  at  Modin,  according  to  the  king's  com- 
mandment, which  thing  when  Mattathias  saw,  he 
was  inflamed  with  zeal,  and  his  reins  trembled, 
neither  could  he  forbear  to  show  his  anger  accord- 
ing to  judgment:  wherefore  he  ran,  and  slew  him 
upon  the  altar.  Also  the  king's  commissioner,  who 
compelled  men  to  sacrifice,  he  killed  at  that  time, 
and  the  altar  he  pulled  down."  Then  he  cried 
throughout  the  city,  "Whoever  is  zealous  of  the 
law,  and  maintaineth  the  covenant,  let  him  follow 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     103 

me."  He  and  his  followers  retired  to  the  mount- 
ain fastnesses  of  southern  Palestine,  where  they 
struck  many  valiant  blows  for  their  country  and 
their  religion.  With  such  evidence  as  this  who 
could  ever  think  of  applying  this  prophecy  to  any 
other  than  to  Antiochus  Epiphanes  and  the  men 
and  events  of  his  times? 

44 And  they  that  understand  among  the  people 
shall  instruct  many:  yet  they  shall  fall  by  the 
sword,  and  by  flame,  by  captivity,  and  by  spoil, 
many  days.  Now  when  they  shall  fall,  they 
shall  be  holpen  with  a  little  help ;  but  many  shall 
cleave  to  them  with  flatteries.  And  some  of 
them  of  understanding  shall  fall,  to  try  them, 
and  to  purge,  and  to  make  them  white,  even  to 
the  time  of  the  end:  because  it  is  yet  for  a  time 
appointed." 

How  true  this  was  of  these  times !  The  leaders 
who  instructed  many  fell  one  after  another:  the 
venerable  Mattathias  first,  then  Jonathan,  Eleazar, 
Judas,  and  Simon;  a  noble  band.  Occasionally 
they  were  victorious,  and  were  thus  "  holpen  with 
a  little  help."  But  time  and  again  their  cause  suf- 
fered from  the  treachery  of  false  friends  who  were 
won  over  to  their  enemies  by  flatteries.  By  the 
fall  of  their  leaders  and  bravest  men  God  seemed 
"  to  purge  and  make  them  white  even  to  the  time 
of  the  end" — the  time  when  he  would  deliver  his 
people  entirely  from  their  foes.  Why  should  men 
conversant  with  the  history  of  these  times  ever  look 
anywhere  else  for  the  fulfillment  of  this  prophecy  ? 


1 04     The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

Here,  and  here  only,  do  we  find  every  feature  of 
the  prophecy  fulfilled. 

"And  the  king  shall  do  according  to  his  will; 
and  he  shall  exalt  himself,  and  magnify  himself 
above  every  god,  and  shall  speak  marvelous  things 
against  the  God  of  gods,  and  shall  prosper  until 
the  indignation  be  accomplished:  for  that  that  is 
determined  shall  be  done.  Neither  shall  he  regard 
the  God  of  his  fathers,  nor  the  desire  of  women, 
nor  regard  any  god :  for  he  shall  magnify  himself 
above  all.  But  in  his  estate  shall  he  honor  the  God 
of  forces:  and  a  god  whom  his  fathers  knew  not 
shall  he  honor  with  gold,  and  silver,  and  with 
precious  stones,  and  pleasant  things.  Thus  shall 
he  do  in  the  most  strong  holds  with  a  strange  god, 
whom  he  shall  acknowledge  and  increase  with 
glory :  and  he  shall  cause  them  to  rule  over  many, 
and  shall  divide  the  land  for  gain." 

This  can  be  no  other  than  the  king  spoken  of 
before — Antiochus  Epiphanes.  God  had  his  pur- 
pose in  chastising  his  people,  and  delivered  them  up 
to  the  will  of  this  king.  We  are  told  in  the  seven- 
teenth Psalm,  verse  13,  that  "  the  wicked  is  God's 
sword."  So  this  vile  king  is  used  as  God's  sword 
to  afflict  and  punish  his  unfaithful  people.  Hence 
he  shall  prosper  until  the  "  indignation  be  accom- 
plished." The  king  is  proud  and  self-conceited; 
thinks  himself  above  every  god,  speaks  marvelous 
things  against  the  God  of  gods — things  that  for 
their  horrid  blasphemy  excite  the  wonder  of  man- 
kind. Hear  what  the  author  of  the  Maccabees 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     105 

says  on  this  point:  "  Having  spoken  very  proudly." 
And  again,  commenting  on  his  fall  from  his  chariot, 
he  says:  "Thus  he  who  a  little  afore  thought  he 
might  command  the  waves  of  the  sea  [so  proud 
was  he  above  the  condition  of  man]  and  weigh  the 
high  mountains  in  a  balance,  was  now  cast  on  the 
ground,  and  carried  in  a  horse  -  litter,  showing 
unto  all  the  manifest  power  of  God."  And  again  ; 
"  The  man  who  thought  a  little  afore  that  he  could 
reach  to  the  stars  of  heaven,"  etc.  He  had  no 
reverence  for  any  God,  not  even  the  god  of  his 
fathers,  but  made  the  effort  to  introduce  the  relig- 
ion of  the  Greeks  in  all  his  dominions.  No  plead- 
ings of  men  or  women  could  turn  him  from  his 
purpose  of  overthrowing  the  religion  of  the  coun- 
tries conquered  by  him.  Every  feature  of  this 
man  as  portrayed  by  the  angel  to  Daniel  is  fully 
pointed  out  by  the  historian  as  he  writes  of  Antio- 
chus.  He,  and  he  only,  is  revealed  to  us  here. 

44  And  at  the  time  of  the  end  shall  the  king  of  the 
south  push  at  him :  and  the  king  of  the  north  shall 
come  against  him  like  a  whirlwind,  with  chariots, 
and  with  horsemen,  and  with  many  ships;  and  he 
shall  enter  into  the  countries,  and  shall  overthrow 
and  pass  over.  He  shall  enter  also  into  the  glo- 
rious land,  and  many  countries  shall 'be  over- 
thrown: but  these  shall  escape  out  of  his  hand, 
even  Edom,  and  Moab,  and  the  chief  of  the  chil- 
dren of  Ammon.  He  shall  stretch  forth  his  hand 
also  upon  the  countries:  and  the  land  of  Egypt 
shall  not  escape.  But  he  shall  have  power  over 


106      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

the  treasures  of  gold  and  of  silver,  and  over  all  the 
precious  things  of  Egypt:  and  the  Libyans  and  the 
Ethiopians  shall  be  at  his  steps.  But  tidings  out  of 
the  east  and  out  of  the  north  shall  trouble  him: 
therefore  he  shall  go  forth  with  great  fury  to  de- 
stroy, and  utterly  to  make  away  many.  And  he 
shall  plant  the  tabernacles  of  his  palace  between 
the  seas  in  the  glorious  holy  mountain ;  yet  he  shall 
come  to  his  end,  and  none  shall  help  him." 

"At  the  time  of  the  end  "  is  the  period  at  which 
this  scourge  of  God  s  people  shall  be  destroyed, 
and  that  people  be  relieved  from  their  terrible  pun- 
ishment. Now  the  curtain  lifts  from  the  last  act  in 
the  grand  drama  of  his  life.  Antiochus  is  pro- 
voked to  war  by  Ptolemy  Philometor,  the  "king 
of  the  south  pushing  at  him."  The  fighting  of  the 
king  of  the  north  is  compared  to  a  storm — a  whirl- 
wind coming  down  in  its  fury,  sweeping  all  before 
it.  He  was  successful  in  this  war,  only  a  few 
named  escaping  his  hand.  The  Libyans  and 
Ethiopians  ally  their  armies  with  his,  and  help  him 
in  the  war.  But  while  prosecuting  it  successfully, 
tidings  from  Persia,  Armenia,  and  Palestine — the 
east  and  the  north — reach  and  trouble  him.  Ju- 
das Maccabeus  was  constantly  growing  stronger, 
and  while  he  was  trying  to  crush  his  heroic  band 
he  heard  of  the  rebellion  of  Persia  and  Armenia, 
and  he  at  once  divided  his  forces,  leaving  part  un- 
der the  leadership  of  Lysias  to  prosecute  the  war 
against  the  Jews,  he  took  the  rest  and  pushed  to- 
ward the  east.  The  rebellion  there  was  caused  by 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.      107 

his  effort  to  supplant  the  ancient  religion  of  the 
Magians  with  Greek  idolatry.  He  had  planted  the 
"tabernacle  of  his  palace"  in  Palestine  between 
the  seas  of  the  glorious  mountain ;  but  now  he  goes 
east.  While  there  he  meets  his  death. 

Knowing  that  very  great  riches  were  lodged  in 
the  temple  of  Elymais,  he  determined  to  carry  it 
off.  But  the  inhabitants  of  the  country  made  so 
vigorous  a  resistance  that  he  was  forced  to  retreat 
toward  Babylonia.  When  he  was  come  to  Ecba- 
tana,  he  was  informed  of  the  defeat  of  Nicanor  and 
Timotheus,  and  that  Judas  Maccabeus  had  retaken 
the  temple  of  Jerusalem  and  restored  the  worship 
of  the  Lord  and  the  usual  sacrifices.  On  receiv- 
ing this  intelligence  the  king  was  transported  with 
indignation,  and  threatened  to  make  Jerusalem  a 
grave  for  the  Jews,  commanded  the  driver  of  his 
chariot  to  urge  the  horses  forward  and  to  hasten 
his  journey.  He  fell  from  his  chariot,  receiving 
such  injuries  that  he  died  a  short  time  after  in  the 
most  excrutiating  pain,  acknowledging  in  his  last 
moments  that  his  death  was  from  God.  So  he 
died  not  in  battle,  but  came  to  his  end  with  none 
to  "  help  him." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Trials  and  Persecutions  of  the  Jews— The  Seven  Brethren  and 
Their  Mother  Martyred — The  Resurrection  to  Joy  and  Shame 
— The  Thousand  Two  Hundred  and  Ninety  Days — The 
Sanctuary  Cleansed — The  Kingdom  of  Christ. 

WE   come   now  to  the   closing  chapter  of  this 
wonderful  prophecy.     At  the  death  of  this 
vile  king,  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  it  is  said: 

"And  at  that  time  shall  Michael  stand  up,  the 
great  prince  which  standeth  for  the  children  of  thy 
people:  and  there  shall  be  a  time  of  trouble,  such 
as  never  was  since  there  was  a  nation  even  to  that 
same  time :  and  at  that  time  thy  people  shall  be  de- 
livered, every  one  that  shall  be  found  written  in 
the  book.  And  many  of  them  that  sleep  in  the 
dust  of  the  earth  shall  awake,  some  to  everlasting 
life,  and  some  to  shame  and  everlasting  contempt. 
And  they  that  be  wise  shall  shine  as  the  brightness 
of  the  firmament;  and  they  that  turn  many  to 
righteousness,  as  the  stars  forever  and  ever." 

The  Jews  had  never  passed  through  such  perse- 
cutions before.  They  had  been  slain  by  tens  of 
thousands.  Their  sacred  temple  had  been  invad- 
ed, the  daily  sacrifice  taken  away.  Swines'  flesh 
had  been  offered  in  the  house  of  God,  and  the 
abominable  broth  poured  over  every  sacred  spot 
and  vessel  in  the  blessed  sanctuary.  Men  and 
women,  irrespective  of  age  or  station,  had  been 
(108) 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     109 

submitted  to  rack,  fire,  and  sword  in  the  most  in- 
human manner. 

The  author  of  the  Maccabees  says:  "It  came 
to  pass  also,  that  seven  brethren  with  their  moth- 
er were  taken,  and  compelled  by  the  king  against 
the  law  to  taste  swine's  flesh,  and  were  tormented 
with  scourges  and  whips.  But  one  of  them  that 
spake  first  said  thus,  What  wouldst  thou  ask  or 
learn  of  us?  we  are  ready  to  die  rather  than  to 
transgress  the  laws  of  our  fathers.  Then  the  king, 
being  in  a  rage,  commanded  pans  and  caldrons  to 
be  made  hot:  which  forthwith  being  heated,  he 
commanded  to  cut  out  the  tongue  of  him  that  spake 
first,  and  to  cut  off  the  utmost  parts  of  his  body, 
the  rest  of  his  brethren  and  his  mother  looking  on. 
Now  when  he  was  thus  maimed  in  all  his  members, 
he  commanded  him,  being  yet  alive,  to  be  brought 
to  the  fire,  and  to  be  fried  in  the  pan:  and  as  the 
vapor  of  the  pan  was  for  a  good  space  dispersed, 
they  exhorted  one  another  with  the  mother  to  die 
manfully,  saying  thus,  The  Lord  looketh  upon  us, 
and  in  truth  hath  comfort  in  us,  as  Moses  in  his 
song,  which  witnessed  to  their  faces,  declared, 
saying,  And  he  shall  be  comforted  in  his  servants. 
So  when  the  first  was  dead  after  this  manner,  they 
brought  the  second  to  make  him  a  mocking-stock: 
and  when  they  had  pulled  off  the  skin  of  his  head 
with  the  hair,  they  asked  him,  Wilt  thou  eat,  before 
thou  be  punished  throughout  every  member  of  thy 
body?  But  he  answered  in  his  own  language,  and 
said,  No.  Wherefore  he  also  received  the  next 


no     The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

torment  in  order,  as  the  former  did.  And  when  he 
was  at  the  last  gasp,  he  said,  Thou  like  a  fury  tak- 
est  us  out  of  this  present  life,  but  the  King  of  the 
world  shall  raise  us  up,  who  have  died  for  his 
laws,  unto  everlasting  life.  After  him  was  the 
third  made  a  mocking-stock :  and  when  he  was  re- 
quired, he  put  out  his  tongue,  and  that  right  soon, 
holding  forth  his  hands  manfully,  and  said  coura- 
geously, These  I  had  from  heaven;  and  for  his 
laws  I  despise  them;  and  from  him  I  hope  to  re- 
ceive them  again.  .  Insomuch  that  the  king,  and 
they  that  were  with  him,  marveled  at  the  young 
man's  courage,  for  that  he  nothing  regarded  the 
pains.  Now  when  this  man  was  dead  also,  they 
tormented  and  mangled  the  fourth  in  like  manner. 
So  when  he  was  ready  to  die,  he  said  thus,  It  is 
good,  being  put  to  death  by  men,  to  look  for  hope 
from  God  to  be  raised  up  again  by  him:  as  for 
thee,  thou  shalt  have  no  resurrection  to  life.  Aft- 
erward they  brought  the  fifth  also,  and  mangled 
him.  Then  looked  he  unto  the  king,  and  said, 
Thou  hast  power  over  men,  thou  art  corruptible, 
thou  doest  what  thou  wilt;  yet  think  not  that  our 
nation  is  forsaken  of  God;  but  abide  awhile,  and 
behold  his  great  power,  how  he  will  torment  thee 
and  thy  seed.  After  him  also  they  brought  the 
sixth,  who,  being  ready  to  die,  said,  Be  not  de- 
ceived without  cause:  for  we  suffer  these  things 
for  ourselves,  having  sinned  against  our  God: 
therefore  marvelous  things  are  done  unto  us.  But 
think  not  thou,  that  takest  in  hand  to  strive  against 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ,     in 

God,  that  thou  shalt  escape  unpunished.  But  the 
mother  was  marvelous  above  all,  and  worthy  of 
honorable  memory:  for  when  she  saw  her  seven 
sons  slain  within  the  space  of  one  day,  she  bare  it 
with  a  good  courage,  because  of  the  hope  she  had 
in  the  Lord.  Yea,  she  exhorted  every  one  of  them 
in  her  own  language,  filled  with  courageous  spirits; 
and  stirring  up  her  womanish  thoughts  with  a  manly 
stomach,  she''said  unto  them,  I  cannot  tell  how  ye 
came  into  my  womb ;  for  I  neither  gave  you  breath 
nor  life,  neither  was  it  I  that  formed  the  members 
of  every  one  of  you ;  but  doubtless  the  Creator  of 
the  world,  who  formed  the  generation  of  man,  and 
found  out  the  beginning  of  all  things,  will  also  of 
his  own  mercy  give  you  breath  and  life  again,  as 
ye  now  regard  not  your  own  selves  for  his  laws' 
sake.  Now  Antiochus,  thinking  himself  despised, 
and  suspecting  it  to  be  a  reproachful  speech,  whilst 
the  youngest  was  yet  alive,  did  not  only  exhort  him 
by  words,  but  also  assured  him  with  oaths,  that  he 
would  make  him  both  a  rich  and  happy  man,  if  he 
would  turn  from  the  laws  of  his  fathers ;  and  that 
also  he  would  take  him  for  his  friend,  and  trust 
him  with  affairs.  But  when  the  young  man  would 
in  no  case  hearken  unto  him,  the  king  called  his 
mother,  and  exhorted  her  that  she  would  counsel 
the  young  man  to  save  his  life.  And  when  he  had 
exhorted  her  with  many  words,  she  promised  him 
that  she  would  counsel  her  son.  But  she  bowing 
herself  to  him,  laughing  the  cruel  tyrant  to  scorn, 
spake  in  her  country  language  on  this  manner;  O 


H2      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

my  son,  have  pity  upon  me  that  bare  thee  nine 
months  in  my  womb,  and  gave  thee  suck  three 
years,  and  nourished  thee,  and  brought  thee  up 
unto  this  age,  and  endured  the  troubles  of  educa- 
tion. I  beseech  thee,  my  son,  look  upon  the 
heaven  and  the  earth,  and  all  that  is  therein,  and 
consider  that  God  made  them  of  things  that  were 
not;  and  so  was  mankind  made  likewise.  Fear 
not  this  tormentor,  but,  being  worthy  of  thy 
brethren,  take  thy  death,  that  I  may  receive  thee 
again  in  mercy  with  thy  brethren.  While  she 
was  yet  speaking  these  words,  the  young  man 
said,  Whom  wait  ye  for?  I  will  not  obey  the 
king's  commandment:  but  I  will  obey  the  com- 
mandment of  the  law  that  was  given  unto  our  fa- 
thers by  Moses.  And  thou  that  hast  been  the  au- 
thor of  all  mischief  against  the  Hebrews,  shalt  not 
escape  the  hands  of  God.  For  we  suffer  because 
of  our  sins.  And  though  the  living  God  be  angry 
with  us  a  little  while  for  our  chastening  and  cor- 
rection, yet  shall  he  be  at  one  again  with  his  serv- 
ants. But  thou,  O  godless  man,  and  of  all  other 
most  wicked,  be  not  lifted  up  without  a  cause,  nor 
puffed  up  with  uncertain  hopes,  lifting  up  thy  hand 
against  the  servants  of  God ;  for  thou  hast  not  yet 
escaped  the  judgment  of  Almighty  God,  who 
seeth  all  things.  For  our  brethren  who  have  now 
suffered  a  short  pain,  are  dead  under  God's  cove- 
nant of  everlasting  life:  but  thou  through  the 
judgment  of  God,  shalt  receive  just  punishment  for 
thy  pride.  But  I,  as  my  brethren,  offer  up  my 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.      113 

body  and  life  for  the  laws  of  our  fathers,  beseech- 
ing God  that  he  would  speedily  be  merciful  to  our 
nation;  and  that  thou  by  torments  and  plagues 
mayest  confess,  that  he  alone  is  God  and  that  in  me 
and  my  brethren  the  wrath  of  the  Almighty,  which 
is  justly  brought  upon  all  our  nation,  may  cease. 
Then  the  king,  being  in  a  rage,  handled  him 
worse  than  all  the  rest,  and  took  it  grievously 
that  he  was  mocked.  So  this  man  died  undefiled, 
and  put  his  whole  trust  in  the  Lord.  Last  of  all, 
after  the  sons,  the  mother  died." 

We  have  given  this  long  and  interesting  quota- 
tion to  show  that  this  was  the  "time  of  trouble, 
such  as  never  was  since  there  was  a  nation  even  to 
that  same  time :  and  at  that  time  thy  people  shall 
be  delivered,  every  one  that  shall  be  found  written 
in  the  book." 

Verse  2  is  highly  symbolic.  It  means  that  when 
Michael  shall  stand  up  for  his  people  there  shall 
be  a  mighty  change.  Those  that  were  as  in  the 
dust  of  death  on  account  of  the  dreadful  persecu- 
tions shall  be  delivered,  and  it  will  be,  as  Paul 
expresses  it  when  speaking  of  the  conversion  of 
the  Jews,  "What  shall  the  receiving  of  them  be, 
but  life  from  the  dead?"  The  figure  of  the  resur- 
rection is  often  used  to  express  joy  after  sorrow. 
While  the  faithful  saints  shall  wake  to  joy,  their 
persecutors  and  the  apostate  Jews  who,  to  save 
their  life,  gave  up  their  faith,  will  now  "  awake  to 
shame  and  everlasting  contempt."  Such  men  as 
Mattathias,  Judas,  Eleazar,  Simon,  the  seven  broth- 
8 


114     The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

ers  and  their  faithful  mother,  "shall  shine  as  the 
brightness  of  the  firmament;  and  they  that  turn 
many  to  righteousness,  as  the  stars  forever  and 
ever." 

As  we  conceive,  this  has  no  reference  whatever 
to  a  literal  resurrection,  but  it  is  wholly  figurative, 
and  it  comes  in  just  at  the  point  where  such  joy 
on  the  one  hand  and  such  confusion  and  contempt 
would  be  found  on  the  other. 

Those  "found  written  in  the  book"  was  a  fa- 
miliar expression  to  the  Jews.  When  God  counted 
one  worthy  of  eternal  life,  it  was  as  if  he  wrote  the 
name  of  such  a  one  in  the  Book  of  Life.  Moses 
felt  that  his  name  was  written  there,  for  while  pray- 
ing for  his  people  he  uses  this  language:  "Yet 
now,  if  thou  wilt,  forgive  their  sin;  and  if  not,  blot 
me,  I  pray  thee,  out  of  thy  book  which  thou  hast 
written."  David,  in  the  6pth  Psalm,  when  speak- 
ing of  certain  wicked  ones,  says:  "Let  them  be 
blotted  out  of  the  book  of  the  living,  and  not  be 
written  with  the  righteous."  The  time  of  deliver- 
ance was  coming,  and  all  who  were  worthy,  all 
whose  names  should  be  found  written  in  this  book, 
should  meet  with  signal  deliverance.  A  mighty 
change  was  to  take  place.  The  wicked  who  had 
terrorized  the  good  for  so  long  were  themselves  to 
be  in  terror.  The  slayer  should  be  slain,  while  the 
good,  that  had  been  hunted  down  as  they  hid  in 
dens  and  caves  of  the  earth,  were  now  to  be  exalt- 
ed; and  so  signal  was  to  be  the  manifestation  of 
God's  favor  that  all  the  world  should  see  it.  They 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     115 

should  "  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament; 
and  they  that  turn  many  to  righteousness,  as  the 
stars  forever  and  ever." 

Daniel  is  commanded  to  "shut  up  the  words, 
and  seal  the  book,  even  to  the  time  of  the  end." 
This  prophecy  would  not  be  understood  until  the 
power  of  the  wicked  under  Antiochus  should  be 
broken  and  the  mighty  deliverance  wrought,  so 
the  words  should  be  shut  and  the  book  sealed 
till  the  time  of  the  end,  then  should  it  all  appear 
to  them.  The  joyous  news  of  their  deliverance 
should  fly  from  place  to  place:  "Many  shall  run 
to  and  fro,  and  knowledge  shall  be  increased."  As 
the  knowledge  of  this  deliverance  should  spread 
and  increase,  joy  should  abound,  and  men  would 
run  everywhere  with  the  good  news.  This  was 
literally  the  case  at  the  death  of  Antijochus. 

But  God  intends  to  give  yet  more  information  to 
his  beloved  servant.  Hence  he  sees  two  other 
angels  standing,  "  the  one  on  this  side  of  the  bank 
of  the  river,  and  the  other  on  that  side  of  the  bank 
of  the  river.  And  one  said  to  the  man  clothed  in 
linen,  which  was  upon  the  waters  of  the  river, 
How  long  shall  it  be  to  the  end  of  these  wonders  ? ' ' 
The  man  clothed  in  linen,  lifting  his  hand,  swears 
"by  him  that  liveth  forever,  that  it  shall  be  for  a 
time,  times,  and  a  half" — that  is,  as  we  have  seen 
elsewhere,  three  years  and  a  half.  Daniel  did  not 
fully  comprehend  it,  and  he  asks:  "What  shall  be 
the  end  of  these  things?  And  he  said,  Go  thy 
way,  Daniel:  for  the  words  are  closed  up  and 


Il6      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

sealed  till  the  time  of  the  end."  Between  the  time 
of  this  vision  and  the  end,  especially  during  the 
fierce  persecutions  under  Antiochus,  "  many  shall 
be  purified,  and  made  white,  and  tried."  This 
was  literally  the  case.  Persecutions,  such  as  this 
people  endured,  if  properly  received,  purify  those 
who  endure  them,  and  at  the  same  time  "the 
wicked  shall  do  wickedly."  Those  engaged  in 
tHe  persecutions  would  increase  in  wickedness  as 
a  natural  result. 

Now  the  angel  becomes  more  specific  as  to  time. 
In  round  numbers,  all  along  through  these  paral- 
lel prophecies,  three  years  and  a  half  has  been 
given ;  now  the  very  number  of  the  days  is  an- 
nounced, and  the  point  from  which  to  calculate 
them:  "And  from  the  time  that  the  daily  sacrifice 
shall  be  taken  away,  and  the  abomination  that 
maketh  desolate  set  up,  there  shall  be  a  thousand 
two  hundred  and  ninety  days."  This  time,  when 
*'  the  daily  sacrifice  was  taken  away,"  is  not  accu- 
rately recorded  in  history;  but  the  time  when  the 
abomination  was  set  up  is  December  10,  167  B.C., 
and  the  time  when  the  sanctuary  was  cleansed  and 
the  sacrifice  restored  is  also  recorded.  It  was 
December  25,  164  B.C.  But  the  time  when  the 
sacrifice  was  taken  away  is  not  so  clearly  record- 
ed. No  doubt  this  was  done  some  time  before  the 
abomination  of  desolation  was  set  up — that  is, 
when  an  idol  altar  was  erected  on  the  altar  of  sac- 
rifice in  the  temple.  If  we  could  get  this  date,  no 
doubt  from  it  to  the  cleansing  of  the  sanctuary 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     117 

would  be  twelve  hundred  and  ninety  days.  We 
know  that  it  was  early  in  June  of  the  year  B.C.  167 
that  Antiochus  returned  from  Egypt  and  sent  Ap- 
ollonius  with  an  army  into  Judea.  He  seized  Je- 
rusalem, and  put  a  stop  to  the  temple  worship. 
This  much  we  do  know:  that  Josephus  distinctly 
states  in  two  passages  that  the  daily  sacrifices  were 
suspended  three  and  a  half  years;  and  this,  accu- 
rately calculated,  would  make  twelve  hundred  and 
seventy-nine  days,  lacking  just  eleven  of  the  num- 
ber given  by  the  revealing  angel.  Josephus  may 
have  put  it  in  round  numbers  three  and  a  half 
years,  while  it  was  eleven  days  longer  than  this. 

The  death  of  Antiochus  was  an  event  that  sent 
a  thrill  of  joy  through  all  the  land  of  Judea.  It 
virtually  ended  the  persecutions  of  this  people. 
When  the  Jews  cleansed  their  sanctuary  and  re- 
stored the  daily  sacrifice,  Antiochus  was  far  away 
in  Persia.  When  these  tidings  reached  him,  he 
was  greatly  affected  by  them,  and  set  off  at  once 
for  home,  and  brought  on  the  fall  from  his  chariot, 
and  the  violent  sickness  of  which  he  died.  "  Now 
if  we  allow  a  reasonable  time  for  this  news  to  reach 
him,  and  for  the  journey,  the  fall,  and  the  sickness 
which  preceded  his  death,  we  shall  find  that  forty- 
five  days  is  a  fair  estimate.  The  testimony  of  the 
second  book  of  Maccabees  (chapter  ix.)  corre- 
sponds with  that  of  the  first  book  in  these  partic- 
ulars, as  far  as  it  goes.  Well  might  the  revealing 
angel  say,  'Blessed  is  he  that  waiteth'  in  patient 
hope  so  long,  for  there  would  be  great  joy  over  the 


n8      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

death  of  that  arch-enemy  of  the  people  of  God.'* 
The  angel  adds  these  forty-five  days,  saying: 
"Blessed  is  he  that  waiteth,  and  cometh  to  the 
thousand  three  hundred  and  five  and  thirty  days." 
Then  they  should  know  certainly  that  their  enemy 
was  dead,  and  their  long  night  of  sorrow  was 
over. 

The  last  verse  of  the  chapter,  and  of  the  proph- 
ecy of  Daniel,  was  addressed  to  him.  "  But  go 
thou  thy  way  till  the  end  be:  for  thou  shalt  rest, 
and  stand  in  thy  lot  at  the  end  of  the  days.".  For 
seventy  years  he  had  been  from  time  to  time  re- 
ceiving these  wonderful  visions,  and  now  he  is 
gently  dismissed.  His  work  was  done,  he  must 
now  rest,  and  stand  in  his  lot. 

The  four  great  parallel  visions  of  this  book,  as 
we  have  seen,  commencing  with  Nebuchadnezzar 
and  ending  with  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  deal  only 
with  the  features  of  the  Jewish  nation  to  within  a 
few  years  of  the  coming  of  Christ  in  the  flesh. 
We  have  found  nothing  beyond  this,  and  we  feel 
assured  that  we  are  right.  Our  purpose  has  not 
been  to  speculate,  but  to  give  a  plain,  simple  inter- 
pretation of  the  visions  of  this  great  prophet.  We 
have  not  found  any  great  antichrist  of  the  present 
age.  Neither  the  pope  nor  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church  has  appeared  to  our  mind.  The  times 
spoken  of  in  the  prophecy  have  not  been  stretched 
to  our  age  and  time,  but  have  been  interpreted  in 
their  natural  and  legitimate  periods.  This  proph- 
ecy furnishes  the  New  Testament  idea  and  expres- 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     119 

sions  of  the  "kingdom  of  God"  and  the  "king- 
dom of  heaven."  It  points  men  to  the  time  "  when 
the  God  of  heaven  shall  set  up  a  kingdom."  It 
prepared  men  for  theirs/  coming  of  Christ.  Other 
prophets  had  written  of  this  same  coming.  Some 
more,  and  some  less  clearly. 

The  long  night  was  passing,  and  the  last  proph- 
et of  the  Jewish  Church  had  announced  that „"  the 
Sun  of  righteousness  shall  arise  with  healing  in 
his  wings,"  and  all  the  world  was  looking  for  the 
promised  Messiah.  When  at  last  the  birth  of 
Christ  was  announced,  angels  proclaimed  it  to  the 
shepherds.  Wise  men  came  from  the  East  inquir- 
ing for  him  born  "King  of  the  Jews."  And  soon 
he  began  "  preaching  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom  of 
God,  and  saying,  "  The  time  is  fulfilled,  and  the 
kingdom  of  God  is  at  hand."  He  gathered  his 
disciples  on  the  mount,  and  delivered  to  them  a 
sermon,  in  which  he  laid  down  the  great  principles 
of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  of  which  he  was  the 
head  and  ruler.  He  took  the  reins  of  government 
in  his  own  hands,  and  with  an  authority  that  aston- 
ished the  people  he  announced  in  the  conclusion 
of  his  sermon:  "Therefore  whosoever  heareth 
these  sayings  of  mine,  and  doeth  them,"  etc.  He 
entered  the  temple,  claiming  it  as  his  father's  house, 
and  drove  out  the  buyers  and  sellers,  announcing 
the  fact  that  it  was  to  be  regarded  of  all  nations  as 
the  house  of  prayer.  By  the  wonderful  miracles 
he  wrought  he  gave  the  most  indubitable  proof  of 
his  claim  to  the  Messiah  ship,  and  by  numerous 


I2O     The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

parables  revealed  the  true  nature  of  his  kingdom. 
By  some  of  these  parables  he  showed  that  the  Gen- 
tiles were  to  be  admitted  into  his  kingdom  upon 
the  same  terms  as  the  Jews,  and  that  he  wronged 
no  man  by  admitting  them.  See  the  parable  of  the 
laborers,  as  found  in  Matthew  xx.  1-16.  Those 
hired  at  the  eleventh  hour  represented  the  Gentiles, 
while  those  who  murmured  were  the  Jews.  Jesus 
claims  that  it  "is  lawful  for  me  to  do  what  I  will 
with  mine  own,"  and  announces  the  fact  that  "the 
last  shall  be  first,  and  the  first  last."  The  Gentiles 
who  had  been  last  called  were  to  come  to  the  front 
rank  and  take  possession  of  his  kingdom  and  be 
first  in  all  respects,  while  the  Jews,  his  first  people, 
were  to  drop  behind  in  all  things  and  be  last. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  Prophecies  of  the  Old  Testament  Center  in  Israel — False 
Interpretations — The  Triumphal  Entry  of  Jesus  into  Jerusa- 
lem— Its  Object — The  Fig-tree  Cursed — The  Two  Sons — 
Parable  of  the  Vineyard — Marriage  of  the  King's  Son — 
Scribes,  Pharisees,  and  Herodians  Assail  Jesus — Their  Hy- 
pocrisy Unveiled — Prophecy  Concerning  the  Destruction 
of  Jerusalem. 

PERHAPS  no  single  prophecy  of  scripture  has 
called  forth  more  wild  and  visionary  inter- 
pretations than  the  predictions  of  Jesus  as  con- 
tained in  Matthew  xxiv.,  Mark  xiii.,  and  Luke  xxi. 
The  signs  pointed  out  by  the  Saviour  as  contained 
in  these  chapters  have  been  seen  in  all  ages  of  the 
world,  and  men  are  still  straining  their  vision  to 
catch  sight  of  others  of  them  yet  unfulfilled. 

We  do  not  claim  to  be  wiser  than  others  who 
have  written,  and  to  be  able  to  sift  out  all  error 
and  to  give  the  true  interpretation,  but  having  care- 
fully studied  the  subject  for  years,  and  read  ex- 
pounders of  almost  every  class — read  them  with  a 
special  eye  to  seeing  what  was  true — we  think  that 
we  are  at  least  entitled  to  a  hearing.  It  shall  be 
our  constant  aim  to  let  scripture  interpret  scripture 
wherever  this  can  be  done.  And  in  all  cases  to 
give  a  common-sense  view  of  whatever  prophecies 
we  may  attempt  to  explain. 

No  prophecy  was  ever  written  merely  to  satisfy 
the  curiosity  of  men,  or  to  tell  the  fate  of  nations 

(121) 


122      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

or  individuals.  But  in  every  instance  the  benevo- 
lent designs  of  the  Father  of  us  all  are  manifest. 
His  unbounded  love  to  us  moved  him  to  do  all  in 
his  power  consistent  with  our  free  moral  agency  to 
save  us  from  the  snares  of  the  devil  and  bring  us 
back  to  himself.  Hence  we  find  every  single 
prophecy  of  the  Scripture  centering  in  his  people. 
Is  the  doom  of  Babylon,  Egypt,  Tyre,  or  any  other 
nation  revealed?  It  is  only  as  these  nations  are 
connected  with  his  people.  Some  thread  of  their 
history  binds  them  vitally  to  this  wonderful  family 
of  nations,  to  whom  were  committed  the  oracles  of 
God  that  were  to  lighten  and  enlighten  all  the  peo- 
ple of  earth  down  to  the  end  of  time.  The  word 
of  God  must  be  established  as  such,  beyond  the 
shadow  of  a  question. 

Selecting  the  family  of  Abraham  from  among 
the  tribes  of  the  earth,  he  makes  them  the  burning 
focus  to  which  he  bends  every  single  ray  of  proph- 
ecy, whether  it  pass  through  nations  or  individu- 
als. If  we  will  hold  this  in  mind,  we  will  be  en- 
abled to  follow  each  individual  prediction  with  per- 
fect assurance.  And  difficulties  that  have  hung 
like  a  cloud  over  many  portions  of  God's  word 
will  vanish  as  mists  of  the  morning  before  the  ris- 
ing sun. 

Christ  is  the  soul  and  center  of  all  spiritual 
light.  He,  the  son  of  David,  the  glory  of  the  house 
of  Israel,  is  also  the  desire  of  all  nations.  He  it  is 
whose  voice  comes  ringing  through  the  ages:  "  I 
am  the  Lord,  and  there  is  none  else,  there  is  no 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.      123 

God  beside  me.  ...  I  am  the  Lord,  and  there 
is  none  else.  .  .  .  Ask  me  of  things  concerning 
my  sons,  and  concerning  the  work  of  my  hands 
command  ye  me.  .  .  .  Who  hath  declared 
this  from  ancient  time  ?  who  hath  told  it  from  that 
time?  have  not  I  the  Lord?  and  there  is  no  God 
else  beside  me;  a  just  God  and  a  Saviour;  there 
is  none  beside  me.  Look  unto  me,  and  be  ye 
saved,  all  the  ends  of  the  earth:  for  I  am  God,  and 
there  is  none  else." 

As  Christ  is  the  soul  and  center  of  all  spiritual 
light,  so  the  period  of  his  manifestation  on  earth, 
the  time  of  the  offering  of  his  soul  for  sin,  was  the 
center  of  time.  And  about  this  period  we  see  the 
completion  of  the  written  word,  the  closing  up 
of  all  the  predictions  that  were  uttered  for  its  full 
and  complete  establishment.  When  the  last  book 
of  the  sacred  volume  was  written,  then  God  sealed 
up  the  vision  and  the  prophecy.  There  was  then 
no  longer  any  need  of  them.  Holding  to  this  as 
our  central,  orb,  we  will  find  but  little  difficulty  in 
unraveling  the  mysteries  of  interpretation.  When 
men  have  broken  away  from  this  and  wandered  off 
into  other  fields  they  have  filled  their  writings  with 
the  wildest  and  most  contradictory  theories.  Every 
crime,  every  war,  every  earthquake,  every  plague 
is  to  them  a  fulfillment  of  prophecy.  With  them 
the  folds  of  Revelation  and  Daniel  are  wide  enough 
to  wrap  about  all  the  nations  of  the  earth,  and  far- 
reaching  enough  to  cover  all  time. 

The   prophecy  of  Jesus  with  reference   to   his 


124      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

second  coming  has  had  innumerable  interpreters, 
many  of  them  losing  sight  of  the  fact  we  have 
already  presented,  that  all  the  prophecies  of  script- 
ure centered  in  God's  chosen  people,  or  those  con- 
nected immediately  with  them,  or  were  intended  to 
forever  fix  the  claims  of  Jesus  to  the  Messiahship 
and  establish  the  truth  of  the  Bible,  and  that  none 
were  needed  to  reach  beyond  the  full  and  satisfac- 
tory establishment  of  these  two  great  facts.  As 
the  Bible  is  to  be  for  all  time  and  for  all  people, 
and  as  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Saviour  of  all  men,  es- 
pecially of  them  that  believe,  all  predictions  and 
prophecies,  whether  uttered  before  or  after  the  in- 
carnation of  Jesus,  were  designed  to  establish 
these  facts.  We  will  never  find  any  single  proph- 
ecy bearing  on  any  other  point.  Nor  will  we  find 
them  reaching  to  a  period  not  necessary  to  the  ful- 
fillment of  this  design. 

The  very  first  ray  of  prophecy  that  ever  shot 
athwart  the  gloom  of  our  lost  estate  can  be  traced 
unerringly  to  the  Sun  of  righteousness  as  he  comes 
with  healing  in  his  wings,  and  each  subsequent  ray 
only  added  to  the  splendors  of  his  shining. 

Men  have  set  out  with  preconceived  notions  with 
reference  to  certain  prophecies,  and  they  have 
drawn  from  Old  and  New  Testament  predictions 
and  with  them  have  constructed  a  mosaic  that  has 
the  appearance  of  unity  and  solidity;  but  some- 
where there  is  a  loose  stone  that  no  amount  of  ad- 
justment can  make  fit,  and  on  this  account  the 
whole  fails  of  its  design  and  becomes  worthless. 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.      125 

Beforehand  they  have  concluded  that  Christ  is 
coming  once  more  in  the  flesh  to  set  up  a  kingdom 
on  earth,  and  that  here  among  his  saints  in  visible 
person  he  is  to  reign  a  thousand  years,  having  his 
throne  somewhere — most  of  them  say  at  Jerusalem. 
Upon  this  idea  they  have  built  up  a  separate  sect, 
and  have  set  to  work  to  calculate  the  time  of  his 
coming, notwithstanding  the  declaration  of  Jesus: 
"But  of  that  day  and  hour  knoweth  no  man,  no, 
not  the  angels  of  heaven,  but  my  Father  only." 
Yet  these  prophecy-mongers  have  time  and  again 
set  the  day.  Nearly  every  year  in  the  last  half 
century  has  been  fixed  upon  by  some  one  or  anoth- 
er of  them  as  the  time  of  his  coming.  Nor  do  mis- 
takes and  disappointments  discourage  them.  When 
time  has  demonstrated  the  error  of  their  calcula- 
tions, immediately  they  begin  again  from  some 
other  stand-point,  and  with  unshaken  confidence 
figure  out  another  time. 

In  examining  the  prophecy  of  Jesus  it  will  aid  us 
somewhat  to  go  back  to  what  is  known  as  his  tri- 
umphal entry  into  Jerusalem,  for  it  was  during 
the  week  that  followed  this  entry  that  he  delivered 
this  wonderful  prophecy.  The  disciples  having 
seated  him  upon  the  ass  secured  by  his  direction, 
they  gathered  about  him,  "  and  a  very  great  multi- 
tude spread  their  garments  in  the  way;  others  cut 
down  branches  from  the  trees,  and  strewed  them  in 
the  way."  And  when  he  was  come  nigh,  even 
now  at  the  descent  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  the 
whole  multitude  of  the  disciples,  and  the  multitudes 


126      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

that  went  before,  and  that  followed,  began  to  re- 
joice and  praise  God  with  a  loud  voice,  for  all  the 
mighty  works  that  they  had  seen,  and  cried,  say- 
ing: "  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David!  Hosanna 
in  the  highest!  Blessed  be  the  king  that  cometh 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord!  peace  in  heaven,  and 
glory  in  the  highest !  Blessed  be  the  kingdom  of 
our  father  David,  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  !  Hosanna  in  the  highest !  " 

This  scene  is  unlike  any  other  in  the  history  of 
our  Lord.  Once  or  twice  the  multitude  had  be- 
come excited  and  were  ready  to  lift  him  to  the 
throne  of  his  father  David;  but  this  excitement 
had  been  suppressed,  and  the  multitude  sent  away. 
Now  he  submits  to  all  they  do.  While  in  the  midst 
of  this  triumph  the  Pharisees  asked  him  to  "  rebuke 
his  disciples,"  but  he  said:  "I  tell  you  that,  if 
these  should  hold  their 'peace,  the  stones  would 
immediately  cry  out." 

The  question  arises,  What  was  the  object  of  this 
movement?  why  did  Jesus  now  submit  to  this  dis- 
play? why  did  he  give  loose  rein  to  the  multitude 
to  shout  him  king?  It  was  the  last  grand  effort 
that  he  was  making  to  reach  the  heart  of  his  peo- 
ple and  bring  them  back  to  God.  He  had  gone 
among  them  in  humility,  not  suffering  "his  voice 
to  be  heard  in  the  streets,"  yet  working  the  most 
stupendous  miracles  among  them;  spreading  out 
his  hand  of  compassion  over  them,  he  had  "  borne 
their  sorrows  and  carried  their  griefs ;  "  and  yet  he 
had  failed  to  reach  them.  Now  for  one  brief  hour, 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     127 

in  the  fulfillment  of  a  well-known  and  signal  proph- 
ecy recorded  in  Zachariah  ix.  9,  10,  he  gives  his 
disciples  and  the  multitude  full  rein  to  send  their 
echoing  shouts  over  the  wall  into  the  city  that  lay 
at  his  feet.  Methinks  I  see,  for  one  brief  moment, 
an  expectant  flush  upon  his  cheek  as  he  waits  the 
effect  of  this  movement,  but  ere  the  hosannas  have 
ceased  to  reverberate  among  the  hills  a  change 
sweeps  over  him.  Let  us  draw  near  and  look 
upon  this  king — this  triumphal  one — as  the  people 
shout  him  welcome  to  the  throne  of  his  father  Da- 
vid. Wonder  of  wonders!  he  is  in  tears!  Lost 
to  all  his  surroundings,  heeding  not  the  glad  ho- 
sannas that  fall  upon  his  ears,  he  gazes  down  upon 
the  city  that  lay  like  a  jewel  upon  the  brow  of  Mo- 
riah.  He  had  come  unto  his  own,  and  his  own  re- 
ceived him  not.  While  some  were  ready  to  ac- 
knowledge him  as  their  Saviour  and  king,  the  great 
heart  of  the  people  was  not  his,  and  he  knew  it. 
All,  all  is  in  vain !  They  understood  not  the  rus- 
tle of  his  wings,  they  felt  not  the  yearning  of  his 
heart.  They  knew  not  the  things  which  belonged 
unto  their  peace.  And  through  these  blinding 
tears  he  caught  sight  of  their  desolation.  He  saw 
the  horizon  flecked  with  the  eagles  which  with 
beak  and  talons  would  tear  their  quivering  flesh 
with  relentless  cruelty.  He  heard  the  thundering 
shock  of  Roman  battering-rams  breaking  down 
their  walls  to  let  in  the  relentless  soldiery  who 
should  roll  like  a  resistless  tidal  wave  of  woe  over 
the  shattered  stones  to  the  slaughter  through  every 


128      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

.street  and  alley  of  the  doomed  city.  Through  the 
intervening  years  he  heard  the  dying  groans  of  the 
million  one  hundred  thousand  helpless,  hapless 
ones  that  should  perish  in  the  siege.  Upon  his 
eyes  flashed  the  fires  that  should  wrap  like  a 
shroud  all  the  magnificence  and  splendor  of  her 
temple  and  palaces,  sending  down  into  the  grave 
all  the  accumulated  wealth,  pride,  glory,  and  hope 
of  centuries,  covering  up  in  blood  and  ashes  the 
form  that  once  leaned  upon  the  bosom  of  Jehovah 
as  his  peculiar  treasure.  No  wonder  this  mighty 
king  wept  and  wailed  out  the  anguish  of  his  loving 
heart.  "  If  thou  hadst  known,  even  thou,  at  least 
in  this  thy  day,  the  things  which  belong  unto  thy 
peace !  but  now  they  are  hid  from  thine  eyes. 
For  the  days  shall  come  upon  thee,  that  thine  ene- 
mies shall  cast  a  trench  about  thee,  and  compass 
thee  round,  and  keep  thee  in  on  every  side,  and 
shall  lay  thee  even  with  the  ground,  and  thy  chil- 
dren within  thee;  and  they  shall  not  leave  in  thee 
one  stone  upon  another;  because  thou  knewest  not 
the  time  of  thy  visitation" 

When  the  echo  of  his  voice  that  now  sounded  in 
mercy  should  die  away,  there  would  be  nothing 
more  for  him  to  do  than  to  pronounce  their  doom 
and  die. 

Again  the  procession  moved.  Think  you  their 
shouts  were  as  joyous  now  as  before  that  sad  wail 
and  that  bitter  weeping?  Surely  some  of  his  spirit 
must  have  been  communicated  to  those  about  him ! 
They  enter  the  city,  press  on  to  the  temple,  and  go 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.      129 

in.  Here  the  scene  was  indescribable.  "All  the 
city  was  moved."  A  throb  pulsed  along  her 
thronged  thoroughfares  such  as  had  never  been 
felt  before.  Many  felt  that  "the  desire  of  all  na- 
tions" was  the  central  figure  of  that  procession. 
The  Prince  of  Peace  was  in  their  midst  and  about 
to  be  acknowledged.  He  himself  was  about  to 
uncover  his  glory  and  let  the  multitude  adore  him. 
From  mouth  to  mouth  the  question  flew:  "  Who  is 
this?" 

With  a  majestic  wave  of  his  hand  he  casts  out 
all  that  bought  and  sold  in  the  temple.  He  over- 
threw the  table  of  the  money-changers  and  the 
seats  of  them  that  sold  doves  and  said:  "It  is  writ- 
ten, My  house  shall  be  called  the  house  of  prayer; 
but  ye  have  made  it  a  den  of  thieves."  The  blind 
and  lame  came  to  him  in  the  temple,  and  he  healed 
them.  The  very  children  caught  the  spirit  of  the 
occasion  and  shouted:  "  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of 
David."  And  when  the  chief  priests  and  scribes, 
with  deep  displeasure,  said  to  him,  "  Hearest  thou 
what  these  say?"  he  replied:  "Yea;  have  ye 
never  read,  Out  of  the  mouth  of  babes  and  suck- 
lings thou  hast  perfected  praise?" 

As  he  taught  in  the  temple  from  day  to  day  dur- 
ing this  eventful  week  it  is  said :  "  The  chief  priests 
and  the  scribes  and  the  chief  of  the  people  sought 
to  destroy  him,  and  could  not  find  what  they  might 
do:  for  all  the  people  were  very  attentive  to  hear 
him."  He  was  asked  by  those  rulers:  "  By  what 
authority  doest  thou  these  things?  and  who  gave 
9 


130      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

thee  this  authority?"  thus  utterly  rejecting  him. 
Moreover,  they  made  special  attacks  on  him.  First, 
the  Pharisees  banded  with  the  Herodians;  then 
the  Sadducees;  then  again  the  Pharisees  alone. 
After  all  these  were  met  and  put  to  silence  he  be- 
gan to  show  them  where  they  stood  and  to  read 
to  them  their  doom.  But  first  he  reveals  it  to  his 
disciples.  And  he  does  it  on  this  wise.  On  their 
way  to  Bethany  he  seeks  fruit  on  a  certain  fig-tree, 
and  finds  nothing  but  leaves.  He  pronounces  the 
fatal  words:  "  Let  no  fruit  grow  on  thee  hencefor- 
ward forever."  This  fig-tree  represented  the  bar- 
ren Church.  He  had  come  seeking  fruit,  and  while 
they  had  all  the  outward  show  of  piety — the  altars 
smoking  with  sacrifices,  the  temple  ringing  with 
song,  scribes  and  priests  all  in  their  places — yet  it 
was  but  "leaves:  "  no  fruit  appeared.  And  now 
the  curse  of  the  Master  falls:  "Let  no  fruit  grow 
on  thee  henceforward  forever,"  and  it  "  withers." 
From  that  day  to  this  this  tree  stands  not  only  fruit- 
less, but  "  dried  up  from  the  roots." 

The  next  day  in  the  temple,  when  they  press  upon 
him,  he  asks:  "But  what  think  ye?  A  certain 
man  had  two  sons ;  and  he  came  to  the  first,  and 
said,  Son,  go  work  to-day  in  my  vineyard.  He  an- 
swered and  said,  I  will  not;  but  afterward  he  re- 
pented, and  went.  And  he  came  to  the  second, 
and  said  likewise.  And  he  answered  and  said,  I 
go,  sir;  and  went  not.  Whether  of  them  twain 
did  the  will  of  his  father?  They  say  unto  him, 
The  first.  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Verily  I  say  unto 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.      131 

you,  That  the  publicans  and  the  harlots  go  into 
the  kingdom  of  God  before  you.  For  John  came 
unto  you  in  the  way  of  righteousness,  and  ye  be- 
lieved him  not;  but  the  publicans  and  the  harlots 
believed  him:  and  ye,  when  ye  had  seen  it,  re- 
pented not  afterward,  that  ye  might  believe  him." 
Now  this  first  son  was  the  Gentiles  who  first  re- 
fused to  do  God's  will,  but  now  repented  and  were 
ready  to  accept  salvation  through  him ;  while  the 
second  son  represented  the  Jews,  who  said,  "  I  go, 
sir,"  and  went  not.  Still  further  he  presses  the 
matter  with  the  parable  of  the  vineyard  contained 
in  Matthew  xxi.,  Luke  xx.,  and  Mark  xii.  This 
parable  represents  the  Lord  as  planting  a  vineyard, 
setting  a  hedge  about  it,  digging  a  wine-press, 
building  a  tower,  and  letting  it  out  to  husbandmen. 
At  the  time  of  fruit  he  sent  his  servants,  and  they 
were  shamefully  handled:  some  beaten,  some 
stoned,  and  some  killed.  Last  of  all  he  sends  his 
son,  "  saying,  They  will  reverence  my  son.  But 
when  the  husbandmen  saw  the  son,  they  said  among 
themselves,  This  is  the  heir;  come,  let  us  kill  him, 
and  let  us  seize  on  his  inheritance.  And  they 
caught  him,  and  cast  him  out  of  the  vineyard,  and 
slew  him."  Jesus  then  asked  them  the  direct 
question:  "  When  the  lord  therefore  of  the  vine- 
yard cometh,  what  will  he  do  unto  those  husband- 
men?" They  answered:  "  He  will  miserably  de- 
stroy those  wicked  men,  and  will  let  out  his 
vineyard  unto  other  husbandmen,  which  shall  ren- 
der him  the  fruits  in  their  seasons."  It  would 


132      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

seem  that  they  had  not  discovered  the  nature  and 
bearing  of  the  parable.  The  vineyard  was  the 
Church  or  kingdom  of  God,  which  had  been  com- 
mitted to  their  hands.  They  had  played  the  part 
of  these  husbandmen,  and  now  he  (the  Son  and 
Heir)  was  among  them;  and  they  were  plotting  his 
death,  and  would  accomplish  their  purpose  before 
the  next  Sabbath  should  dawn.  And  the  judg- 
ment they  had  pronounced  against  themselves 
should  be  literally  carried  out,  for  Jesus  said  unto 
them:  "  Therefore  say  I  unto  you,  The  kingdom 
of  God  shall  be  taken  from  you,  and  given  to  a  na- 
tion bringing  forth  the  fruits  thereof."  Jesus 
said:  "What  is  this  then  that  is  written,  The  stone 
which  the  builders  rejected,  the  same  is  become 
the  head  of  the  corner?"  "This  is  the  Lord's 
doing,  and  it  is  marvelous  in  our  eyes." 

"And  whosoever  shall  fall  on  this  stone  shall  be 
broken:  but  on  whomsoever  it  shall  fall,  it  will 
grind  him  to  powder.  And  when  the  chief  priests 
and  Pharisees  had  heard  his  parables,  they  per- 
ceived that  he  spake  of  them." 

But  they  were  not  convinced.  Will  nothing 
open  their  eyes  and  melt  their  hearts?  Now  he 
begins  to  uncover  the  armory  of  his  wrath,  and 
lets  them  look  upon  what  awaits  them.  Here  is 
retribution  for  rejecting  him.  "The  falling  upon 
this  stone"  suggest  great  injury  from  falling  over 
something  in  the  way,  bruising  the  flesh  and  break- 
ing the  bones.  They  rush  upon  him  to  destroy 
him.  They  had  been  plotting  all  the  week  to  take 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     133 

him,  but  "feared  the  multitude."  In  this  they 
should  be  broken,  forever  broken.  But  when  this 
stone  should  fall  upon  them,  in  the  awful  judg- 
ments that  were  soon  to  come,  it  would  "grind 
them  to  powder."  No  pen  can  ever  portray  the 
horrors  of  the  siege  of  Jerusalem,  when  Christ, 
this  rejected  stone,  was  falling  upon  them  in 
wrath;  when  he  came  "with  his  armies  to  miser- 
ably destroy"  this  nation  of  murderers,  and  to 
"  burn  up  their  city." 

"To  measure  the  awful  meaning  of  'grind  him 
to  powder,'  one  must  know  all  the  horrors,  the 
frenzies,  unutterable  degradations,  and  over- 
whelming miseries  that  were  felt  in  that  prolonged 
siege.  He  must  be  in  full  sympathy  with  the  in- 
testine strifes,  the  rapine,  the  bloodshed,  and  can- 
nibalism to  which  they  were  driven  in  '  the  sraight- 
ness  of  the  siege,  wherewith  their  enemies  besieged 
them.'  Horrors,  driven  by  the  breath  of  God, 
clouding  the  day,  and  hanging  like  a  pall  over  the 
night,  until  they  would  say  at  night,  '  Would  God 
it  were  day ! '  and  in  the  day,  as  if  they  could  not 
bear  the  sight,  they  would  cry,  *  Would  God  it 
were  night ! '  You  must  feel  their  helplessness  as 
the  awful  calamity  came  upon  them.  Sun,  moon, 
and  stars  sympathized  with  them  in  their  crushing, 
grinding  calamity." 

That  there  might  be  no  mistaking  his  meaning, 
he  spake  another  parable  unto  them:  that  of  the 
marriage  of  the  king's  son.  This  parable  forcibly 
represents  the  position  of  these  rejecters  of  Jesus. 


134     The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

With  a  long-standing  invitation,  when  all  is  ready 
and  they  are  told  to  come,  they  made  light  of 
the  invitation  and  the  opportunity,  and  even  in- 
sulted and  slew  the  innocent  servants.  Now  the 
wrath  of  the  king  is  revealed,  and  he  sends  forth 
his  armies  (the  Romans)  and  destroys  these  mur- 
derers and  burns  up  their  city.  The  munificent 
provision  for  the  royal  feast  must  not  be  wasted. 
He  has  other  subjects,  and  these  at  the  last  mo- 
ment must  be  bidden,  and  messengers  are  sent 
into  the  " highways"  for  guests.  Thus  Jesus 
shows  these  scribes  and  Pharisees  how  certainly 
and  how  justly  their  treatment  of  the  gospel  invi- 
tation must  seal  their  doom  hopelessly  and  forever, 
and  how  that  which  was  provided  for  them  shall  be 
given  to  others. 

After  this  the  Pharisees  and  Herodians,  acting 
as  "  spies,"  "feigning  to  be  just  men,"  came  to 
entrap  him.  They  adroitly,  as  they  thought, 
placed  him  between  two  fires  in  the  question  they 
asked.  See  their  hypocrisy  in  the  manner  of  ad- 
dress: "  Master,  we  know  that  thou  art  true,  and 
teachest  the  way  of  God  in  truth,  neither  carest 
thou  for  any  man:  for  thou  regardest  not  the 
person  of  men.  Tell  us,  therefore,  What  think- 
est  thou?  Is  it  lawful  to  give  tribute  unto-  Cag- 
sar  or  not?"  They  thought  whatever  his  an- 
swer might  be  he  would  involve  himself.  If  he 
said  it  was  right,  the  Jews,  who  were  chaffing  un- 
der this  tribute,  would  be  offended  at  him;  and 
the  multitude,  whom  they  feared,  would  at  once 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     135 

array  themselves  on  their  side,  and  they  could  take 
him  without  trouble.  If  he  should  say  it  was  not 
right,  this  would  put  him  squarely  against  the  Ro- 
man, power,  and  they  would  arrest  him  for  treason. 

"  But  Jesus  perceived  their  wickedness,  and  said, 
Why  tempt  ye  me,  ye  hypocrites?  Show  me  the 
tribute  money.  And  they  brought  unto  him  a  pen- 
ny. And  he  saith  unto  them,  Whose  is  this  image 
and  superscription?  They  say  unto  him,  Caesar's. 
Then  saith  he  unto  them,  Render  therefore  unto 
Caesar  the  things  which  are  Caesar's;  and  unto 
God  the  things  that  are  God's."  Thus  they  were 
foiled,  "  and  left  him,  and  went  their  way." 

When  these  had  departed  "  then  came  to  him 
[the  same  day]  certain  of  the  Sadducees,  which 
deny  that  there  is  any  resurrection."  They  pro- 
pounded to  him  a  question  involving,  as  they 
thought,  unanswerable  difficulties  with  reference 
to  the  resurrection.  But  he  is  as  ready  for  them 
as  for  the  Pharisees,  and  in  answering  them  gives 
some  overwhelming  evidence  from  their  own 
scripture  concerning  this  doctrine. 

When  the  Pharisees  heard  that  he  had  put  the 
Sadducees  to  silence,  they  again  rallied  their  forces, 
and  "  one  of  them,  which  was  a  lawyer,  asked  him 
a  question,  tempting  him,  and  saying,  Master, 
which  is  the  great  commandment  in  the  law?" 
Jesus  answered  and  said:  "The  first  of  all  the 
commandments  is,  Hear,  O  Israel!  The  Lord 
our  God  is  one  Lord:  and  thou  shalt  love  the 
Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy 


136      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind,  and  with  all  thy 
strength:  this  is  the  first  commandment.  And 
the  second  is  like  unto  it,  Thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbor  as  thyself.  On  these  two  command- 
ments hang  all  the  law  and  the  prophets."  By 
this  answer  he  lifted  himself  above  their  reach, 
and  it  is  said  "  no  man  after  that  durst  ask  him  any 
question." 

Having  silenced  them  effectually,  he  then  takes 
the  offensive  and  overwhelms  them  with  facts  con- 
cerning their  own  Messiah  as  revealed  in  the  one 
hundred  and  tenth  Psalm.  And  now  he  proceeds 
to  unveil  their  hypocrisy,  and  to  roll  away  the 
stone  from  the  sepulcher  of  their  moral  corruption 
and  rottenness.  Such  words  never  before  fell 
from  the  lips  of  Jesus.  They  burn  like  the  fires 
of  doom.  Like  hot  thunder-bolts  of  wrath  from  an 
overcharged  tempest  they  strike,  and  wither,  and 
blast  irresistibly.  Like  the  awful  judge  that  he  is, 
he  commands  these  criminals  whom  he  is  about  to 
sentence  to  a  most  terrible  death  to  stand  up  while 
he  recounts  their  crimes  and  tells  them  for  what 
they  are  doomed.  Never  in  the  history  of  the 
world  was  there  such  an  arraignment.  As  a  pre- 
liminary he  calls  upon  his  disciples  in  the  "au- 
dience of  all  the  people."  "The  scribes  and 
Pharisees  sit  in  Moses'  seat:  all  therefore  whatso- 
ever they  bid  you  observe,  that  observe  and  do; 
but  do  not  ye  after  their  works:  for  they  say,  and 
do  not."  "Beware  of  the  scribes,"  "for  they  bind 
heavy  burdens  and  grievous  to  be  borne,  and  lay 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.      137 

them  on  men's  shoulders;  but  they  themselves  will 
not  move  them  with  one  of  their  fingers.  But  all 
their  works  they  do  for  to  be  seen  of  men:  "  "  they 
love  to  go  in  long  clothing,"  and  "  make  broad  their 
phylacteries,  and  enlarge  the  borders  of  their  gar- 
ments, and  love  the  uppermost  rooms  at  feasts,  and 
the  chief  seats  in  the  synagogues,  and  greetings  in 
the  markets,  and  to  be  called  of  men,  Rabbi,  Rab- 
bi!"  which  ' '  devour  widow' s  houses,  and  for  a  pre- 
tense make  long  prayer;"  the  same  "  shall  receive 
greater  damnation . "  "  But  be  not  ye  called  Rabbi : 
for  one  is  your  master,  even  Christ;  and  all  ye  are 
brethren." 

Then,  turning  to  the  culprits  whose  sentence  he 
was  about  to  pronounce,  he  addresses  them  thus: 
"But  woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypo- 
crites! for  ye  shut  up  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
against  men:  for  ye  neither  go  in  yourselves,  nei- 
ther suffer  ye  them  that  are  entering  to  go  in. 
Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites! 
for  ye  devour  widow's  houses,  and  for  a  pretense 
make  long  prayer:  therefore  ye  shall  receive  the 
greater  damnation.  Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and 
Pharisees,  hypocrites!  for  ye  compass  sea  and 
land  to  make  one  proselyte,  and  when  he  is  made, 
ye  make  him  twofold  more  the  child  of  hell  than 
yourselves.  Woe  unto  you,  ye  blind  guides,  which 
say,  Whosoever  shall  swear  by  the  temple,  it  is 
nothing;  but  whosoever  shall  swear  by  the  gold  of 
the  temple,  he  is  a  debtor!  Ye  fools  and  blind: 
for  whether  is  greater,  the  gold,  or  the  temple  that 


138      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

sanctifieth  the  gold?  And,  Whosoever  shall  swear 
by  the  altar,  it  is  nothing;  but  whosoever  sweareth 
by  the  gift  that  is  upon  it,  he  is  guilty.  Ye  fools 
and  blind:  for  whether  is  greater,  the  gift,  or  the 
altar  that  sanctifieth  the  gift?  Whoso  therefore 
shall  swear  by  the  altar,  sweareth  by  it,  and  by  all 
things  thereon.  And  whoso  shall  swear  by  the 
temple,  sweareth  by  it,  and  by  him  that  dwelleth 
therein.  And  he  that  shall  swear  by  heaven, 
sweareth  by  the  throne  of  God,  and  by  him  that 
sitteth  thereon.  Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Phar- 
isees, hypocrites!  for  ye  pay  tithe  of  mint  and 
anise  and  cummin,  and  have  omitted  the  weightier 
matters  of  the  law,  judgment,  mercy,  and  faith: 
these  ought  ye  to  have  done,  and  not  to  leave  the 
other  undone.  Ye  blind  guides,  which  strain  at 
[out]  a  gnat,  and  swallow  a  camel.  Woe  unto 
you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites!  for  ye 
make  clean  the  outside  of  the  cup  and  of  the  plat- 
ter, but  within  they  are  full  of  extortion  and 
excess.  Thou  blind  Pharisee,  cleanse  first  that 
which  is  within  the  cup  and  pla'tter,  that  the  out- 
side of  them  may  be  clean  also.  Woe  unto  you, 
scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites !  for  ye  are  like 
unto  whited  sepulchers,  which  indeed  appear  beau- 
tiful outward,  but  are  within  full  of  dead  men's 
bones,  and  of  all  uncleanness.  Even  so  ye  also 
outwardly  appear  righteous  unto  men,  but  within 
ye  are  full  of  hypocrisy  and  iniquity.  Woe  unto 
you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites !  because 
ye  build  the  tombs  of  the  prophets,  and  garnish 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     139 

the  sepulchers  of  the  righteous,  and  say,  If  we  had 
been  in  the  days  of  our  fathers,  we  would  not  have 
been  partakers  with  them  in  the  blood  of  the 
prophets.  Wherefore  ye  be  witnesses  unto  your- 
selves, that  ye  are  the  children  of  them  which 
killed  the  prophets.  Fill  ye  up  then  the  measure 
of  your  fathers.  Ye  serpents,  ye  generation  of 
vipers,  how  can  ye  escape  the  damnation  of  hell? 
Wherefore,  behold,  I  send  unto  you  prophets,  and 
wise  men,  and  scribes:  and  some  of  them  ye  shall 
kill  and  crucify;  and  some  of  them  shall  ye  scourge 
in  your  synagogues,  and  persecute  them  from  city 
to  city:  that  upon  you  may  come  all  the  righteous 
blood  shed  upon  the  earth,  from  the  blood  of  right- 
eous Abel  unto  the  blood  of  Zacharias  son  of  Bar- 
achias,  whom  ye  slew  between  the  temple  and  the 
altar.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  All  these  things  shall 
come  upon  this  generation.  O  Jerusalem,  Jerusa- 
lem, thou  that  killest  the  prophets,  and  stonest  them 
which  are  sent  unto  thee,  how  often  would  I  have 
gathered  thy  children  together,  even  as  a  hen  gath- 
ereth  her  chickens  under  her  wings,  and  ye  would 
not !  Behold,  your  house  is  left  unto  you  desolate. 
For  I  say  unto  you,  Ye  shall  not  see  me  henceforth, 
till  ye  shall  say,  Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord." 

Thus  he  arrayed  their  crimes  before  their  faces 
and  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  that  all  might  see  the 
justness  of  their  punishment.  The  cup  of  their  in- 
iquity was  nearly  full,  and  they  were  rapidly  filling 
the  measure  of  their  corruption,  until  some  forty 


140      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

years  from  the  delivery  of  this  sentence  the  cloud 
of  vengeance  broke  over  the  guilty  city;  and  as 
peal  after  peal  echoed  through  the  land,  and  the 
smoke  of  their  torment  ascended  in  the  sight  of  the 
nations,  they  stood  aghast  before  the  awful  terror 
of  exterminating  desolations. 

"  Not  in  wrath,  but  in  grief;  not  in  malice,  but 
in  sorrow,  born  of  real  love,  came  forth  these  ex- 
posures of  Pharisaic  hypocrisy  and  vileness."  He 
who  three  days  before,  in  the  midst  of  exultant 
shouts,  wept  over  them  and  grieved  at  their  per- 
sistent refusal  to  take  shelter  under  his  wings, 
could  not  now  in  wrath  and  malice  hurl  his  denun- 
ciations on  them.  Retribution  for  their  wick- 
edness was  mustering  its  forces  for  the  final  blow, 
and  between  them  and  the  destroyer  he  stood,  and 
told  them  of  their  sins,  if  mayhap  he  might  lead 
them  to  repentance  and  to  safety.  But  they  -would 
not! 

Shelterless  he  was  about  to  leave  them.  Said 
he,  "I  go  my  way,  ye  shall  die  in  your  sins;" 
and  it  was  only  when  the  storm  should  be  at  its 
worst  that  they  would  gladly  welcome  anyone  "in 
the  name  of  the  Lord."  But  there  was  no  protec- 
tion in  the  wings  of  those  who  claimed  to  be  the 
Messiah,  as  they  found  to  their  sorrow,  as  we 
shall  see  when  we  come  to  notice  more  fully  the 
prophecies  of  Jesus  on  this  point.  We  consider 
this  the  sentence  of  Jesus,  as  pronounced  against 
these  criminals.  It  is  the  most  remarkable  of  all 
his  predictions.  As  he  turned  and  went  out  and 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     141 

departed  from  the  temple,  his  disciples  called  his 
attention  to  the  grandeur  and  beauty  of  the  build- 
ings on  Mount  Moriah,  saying:  "See  what  man- 
ner of  stones,  and  what  buildings  are  here."  They 
seem  to  understand  that  the  temple  and  city  were 
to  be  destroyed,  and  they  call  the  attention  of  Jesus 
to  the  extent  and  apparent  durability  of  the  build- 
ings. Everything  about  them  denoted  permanence. 
The  stones  were  of  the  most  durable  and  massive 
character.  Josephus  tells  us  of  the  stupendous 
size  of  some  of  them — sixty-seven  feet  long,  seven 
feet  high,  and  nine  broad,  and  of  the  whitest  mar- 
ble. Herod  had  rebuilt  the  temple,  and  of  it  as  re- 
built by  him  Josephus  says:  "The  temple  was 
built  of  stones  that  were  white  and  strong,  and 
their  length  was  twenty-five  cubits,  height  eight, 
and  breadth  about  twelve ;  and  the  whole  struct- 
ure, as  also  the  structure  of  the  royal  cloister,  was 
on  each  side  much  lower;  but  the  middle  was 
much  higher,  till  they  were  visible  to  those  that 
dwelt  in  the  country  for  a  great  many  furlongs,  but 
chiefly  to  such  as  lived  over  against  them,  and 
those  that  approached  to  them.  He  also  encom- 
passed the  entire  temple  with  very  large  cloisters, 
contriving  them  to  be  in  a  due  proportion  thereto ; 
and  he  laid  out  larger  sums  of  money  upon  them 
than  had  been  done  before  him,  till  it  seemed  that 
no  one  else  had  so  greatly  adorned  the  temple  as 
he  had  done.  There  was  a  large  wall  to  both  the 
cloisters,  which  wall  was  itself  the  most  prodigous 
work  that  was  ever  heard  of  by  man.  It  was  cov- 


142      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

ered  all  over  with  plates  of  gold  of  great  weight, 
and  at  the  first  rising  of  the  sun  reflected  back  a 
very  fiery  splendor,  and  made  those  who  forced 
themselves  to  look  upon  it  to  turn  their  eyes  away, 
just  as  they  would  have  done  at  the  sun's  own  rays. 
But  this  temple  appeared  to  strangers,  when  they 
were  at  a  distance,  like  a  mountain  covered  with 
snow ;  for  as  to  those  parts  of  it  that  were  not  gilt, 
they  were  exceedingly  white.  Of  its  stones,  some 
of  them  were  forty-five  cubits  in  length,  five  in 
height,  and  six  in  breadth." 

It  was  to  these  massive  and  magnificent  buildings 
that  the  disciples  called  the  attention  of  our  Lord, 
when  he  said:  "See  ye  not  all  these  things?  ver- 
ily I  say  unto  you,  There  shall  not  be  left  here  one 
stone  upon  another,  that  shall  not  be  thrown 
down."  These  words  of  Jesus  were  fulfilled  to 
the  letter.  Titus  ordered  his  soldiers  to  demolish 
the  temple  utterly,  and  the  very  site  was  plowed 
over. 

The  disciples  asked  him:  "When  shall  these 
things  be?  and  what  shall  be  the  sign  of  thy  com- 
ing, and  of  the  end  of  the  world?"  They  had 
seen  and  heard  enough  to  be  convinced  that  what 
he  said  was  true;  that  he  himself  would  come  to 
accomplish  this  awful  destruction;  that  when  he 
did  come  it  would  be  to  put  an  end  to  the  Jewish 
nation  as  such,  and  they  are  solicitous  to  know 
when  this  second  coming  should  be.  They  also 
wanted  to  know  what  signs  should  presage  this 
coming.  He  first  puts  them  on  their  guard  against 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.      143 

false  Christs.  When  troubles  should  begin  to 
thicken  about  the  land,  there  would  arise  many  in 
his  name,  saying,  "I  am  Christ,"  and  should  de- 
ceive many. 

He  then  tells  them:  "Ye  shall  hear  of  wars 
and  rumors  of  wars ;  see  thatsye  be  not  troubled  : 
for  all  these  things  must  come  to  pass,  but  the  end 
is  not  yet.  For  nation  shall  rise  against  nation, 
and  kingdom  against  kingdom :  and  there  shall  be 
famines,  and  pestilences,  and  earthquakes,  in  divers 
places.  All  these  are  the  beginning  of  sorrows." 
As  to  the  false  Christs,  there  were  many.  Jo- 
sephus  says :  "While  Fadus  was  procurator  (  A.D. 
45  or  46)  a  certain  magician  whose  name  was 
Theudas  persuaded  many  to  follow  him  to  the 
river  Jordan;  for  he  told  them  that  he  was  a 
prophet,  and  that  he  would  by  his  own  command 
divide  the  river,  and  afford  them  an  easy  passage ; 
and  many  were  deluded  by  his  words."  "The 
country  was  again  filled  with  robbers  and  impos- 
tors, who  deluded  the  multitude;  yet  did  Felix 
catch  and  put  to  death  many  of  these  impostors 
every  day."  "These  impostors  and  deceivers 
persuaded  the  multitude  to  follow  tftem  into  the 
wilderness,  and  pretended  that  they  would  exhibit 
manifest  wonders  and  signs,  that  should  be  per- 
formed by  the  providence  of  God.  There  came 
out  of  Egypt  about  this  time  one  who  said  he  was 
a  prophet,  and  advised  the  multitude  to  go  along 
with  him  to  Mount  Olivet,  which  lay  over  against 
the  city  at  the  distance  of  five  furlongs.  He  said 


144      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

he  would  show  them  from  thence  how  at  his  com- 
mand the  walls  of  Jerusalem  would  fall  down. 
Felix  slew  four  hundred  of  them,  and  took  two 
hundred  alive;  but  the  Egyptian  escaped."  We 
could  mention  many  others  from  the  history  of 
these  times,  but  these  are  sufficient  for  our  pur- 
pose. 

The  "wars  and  rumors  of  wars"  were  not  wars 
in  different  parts  of  the  world,  but  there  right  in 
their  midst  or  very  near  them — wars  that  would 
affect  them.  The  whole  East  was  in  a  ferment, 
and  Judea  in  open  insurrection ;  while  the  armies 
of  Spain  and  Gaul  and  Germany,  Illyricum,  and 
Syria  converged  upon  Italy,  to  decide  who  should 
succeed  to  Nero's  purple.  The  throes  of  inani- 
mate nature  seemed  to  sympathize  with  the  travail 
of  the  world.  The  histories  of  the  age  are  full  of 
"  famines,  pestilences,  and  earthquakes  in  divers 
places."  "  Fearful  sights  and  great  signs  from 
heaven  appeared  to  mark  the  very  spot  at  which 
the  great  judgment  was  to  descend.  A  comet 
shaped  like  a  scimitar  hung  over  the  devoted  city 
during  the  whole  year  before  the  war.  Other  por- 
tents are  recorded,  in  the  very  exaggeration  of 
which  we  trace  how  'men's  hearts  failed  them  for 
fear,  and  for  looking  after  those  things  which  were 
to  come  on  the  earth.' ' 

Josephus  tells  us  of  "a  light  at  the  ninth  hour 
of  the  night,  that  shone  round  the  altar  and  the 
holy  house,  so  that  it  appeared  to  be  bright  day- 
time;" that  the  "eastern  gate  of  the  inner  court 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.      145 

of  the  temple,  which  was  of  brass  and  vastly 
heavy,  and  had  been  with  difficulty  shut  by  twenty 
men,  and  rested  upon  a  basis  armed  with  iron,  and 
had  bolts  fastened  very  deep  into  the  firm  floor 
which  was  there  made  of  one  entire  stone,  was 
seen  to  be  opened  of  its  own  accord  about  the  sixth 
hour  of  the  night." 

"Moreover  at  that  feast  which  we  call  Pentecost, 
as  the  priests  were  going  by  night  into  the  inner 
court  of  the  temple,  as  their  custom  was,  to  per- 
form their  sacred  ministrations,  they  said  that  in 
the  first  place  they  felt  a  quaking  and  heard  a  great 
noise,  and  after  that  they  heard  a  sound  as  of  a 
great  multitude  saying,  '  Let  us  remove  hence." 

Then  he  tells  us  of  one  Jesus,  the  son  of  Ananus, 
who  four  years  before  the  war  "began  of  a  sud- 
den to  cry  aloud,  'A  voice  from  the  east,  a  voice 
from  the  west,  a  voice  from  the  four  winds,  a  voice 
against  Jerusalem  and  the  holy  house,  a  voice 
against  the  bridegrooms  and  the  brides,  and  a 
voice  against  the  whole  people.'  He  was  whipped 
until  his  bones  were  laid  bare,  yet  did  he  not  make 
any  supplication  for  himself  nor  shed  any  tears,  but, 
turning  his  voice  to  the  most  lamentable  tones  pos- 
sible, at  every  stroke  of  the  whip  his  answer  was, 
'Woe,  woe  to  Jerusalem!  '  He  continued  this  cry 
for  seven  years  and  five  months,  without  growing 
hoarse.  He  was  at  last  slain  by  a  stone  from  one 
of  the  engines,  just  as  he  uttered  'Woe,  woe  to 
the  city  again,  'and  to  the  people,  and  to  the 
holy  house;  woe,  woe  to  myself  also!"  These 
10 


146      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

are  enough  to  fix  this  prophecy  of  Jesus  on  this 
time. 

"Then  shall  they  deliver  you  up  to  be  afflicted, 
and  shall  kill  you :  and  ye  shall  be  hated  of  all  na- 
tions for  my  name's  sake.  And  then  shall  many 
be  offended,  and  shall  betray  one  another,  and 
shall  hate  one  another.  And  many  false  prophets 
shall  rise,  and  shall  deceive  many.  And  because 
iniquity  shall  abound,  the  love  of  many  shall  wax 
cold.  But  he  that  shall  endure  unto  the  end,  the 
same  shall  be  saved." 

It  will  not  be  necessary  to  go  beyond  the  record 
found  in  the  New  Testament  to  find  these  per- 
secutions. But  as  the  day  for  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem  approached  these  persecutions  became 
more  severe,  and  many  suffered  their  love  to  grow 
cold  on  their  account.  We  have  already  seen  that 
very  many  false  prophets  arose  and  deceived 
many. 

"And  this  gospel  of  the  kingdom  shall  be 
preached  in  all  the  world  for  a  witness  unto  all 
nations;  and  then  shall  the  end  come." 

This  verse  has  been  looked  upon  by  some  as  an 
insurmountable  difficulty  in  the  way  of  applying 
this  prophecy  of  Jesus  to  the  destruction  of  Jeru- 
salem and  the  Jewish  nation.  It  was  not  that  the 
gospel  was  to  be  embraced  by  all  nations,  but  it 
was  to  be  preached  "in  all  the  world  for  a  witness 
unto  all  nations/'  and  this  was  literally  fulfilled. 
"  EXoddridge  is  authority  for  the  statement  that  '  It 
appears  from  credible  records  that  the  gospel  was 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.      147 

preached  in  Idumea,  Syria,  and  Mesopotamia  by 
Jude;  in  Egypt,  Marmorica,  Mauritania,  and  other 
parts  of  Africa  by  Mark,  Simon,  and  Jude;  in 
Ethiopia  by  Candice's  eunuch  and  Matthias;  in 
Partus,  Galatia,  and  the  neighboring  parts  of  Asia 
by  Peter;  in  the  territories  of  the  seven  Asiatic 
Churches  by  John;  in  Parthia  by  Matthew;  in 
Scythia  by  Philip  and  Andrew;  in  the  northern  and 
western  part  of  Asia  by  Bartholomew;  in  Persia 
by  Simon  and  Jude;  in  Media,  Carmania,  and 
several  eastern  parts  by  Thomas ;  through  the  vast 
tract  from  Jerusalem  round  about  unto  Illyricum 
by  Paul;  as  also  in  Italy,  and  probably  in  Spain 
and  Gaul  —  in  most  of  which  places  Christian 
Churches  were  planted  in  less  than  thirty  years 
after  the  death  of  Christ — i.  e.,  before  the  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem.'  ' 

We  have  proof  from  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  of 
the  wide  extent  of  territory  visited  and  preached  in 
by  one  man — Paul — and  we  cannot  think  the  twelve 
were  less  active.  There  is  no  inspired  record  of 
their  deeds  and  preaching,  but  doubtless  they  were 
preaching  the  conquests  of  the  cross  to  the  ends  of 
the  earth.  Enough  had  been  done  during  the  life- 
time of  the  apostles  to  stand  as  a  witness  to  all  na- 
tions that  the  long-promised  Messiah  had  appeared 
in  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ.  Paul  wrote  to  the 
Romans  (x.  18)  that  "their  sound  went  into  all 
the  earth,  and  their  words  unto  the  ends  of  the 
world ;"  and  to  the  Colossians  (i.  6,  23)  that  the 
truths  of  the  gospel  had  come  not  to  them  only,  but 


148      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

to  "all  the  world  "  being  "preached  to  every  creat- 
ure which  is  under  heaven" 

Thus  we  have  the  evidence  from  inspired  writ- 
ers, as  well  as  from  Church  history,  that  these 
words  of  Jesus  were  literally  fulfilled,  that  "this 
gospel  of  the  kingdom  had  been  preached  in  all 
the  world  for  a  witness  unto  all  nations;  "  and  thus 
is  this  passage  cleared  of  all  difficulty. 

"  When  ye  therefore  shall  see  the  abomination 
of  desolation,  spoken  of  by  Daniel  the  prophet, 
stand  in  the  holy  place,  (whoso  readeth,  let  him 
understand, )  then  let  them  which  be  in  Judea  flee 
unto  the  mountains :  let  him  which  is  on  the  house- 
top not  come  down  to  take  any  thing  out  of  his 
house:  neither  let  him  which  is  in  the  field  return 
back  to  take  his  clothes.  And  woe  unto  them 
that  are  with  child,  and  to  those  that  give  suck  in 
these  days !  But  pray  ye  that  your  flight  be  not  in 
the  winter,  neither  on  the  Sabbath-day." 

Luke  throws  light  on  this  passage  by  giving  a 
sentence  in  this  prophecy  of  Jesus  omitted  by  Mat- 
thew and  Mark.  It  is:  "  When  ye  shall  see  Jeru- 
salem compassed  with  armies,  then  know  that  the 
desolation  thereof  is  nigh."  The  Roman  armies 
spoken  of  here  that  were  to  encompass  Jerusalem 
and  destroy  it  bore  upon  their  standards  their  idols, 
which  was  specially  abominable  to  the  Jews,  and  as 
these  standards  were  borne  at  the  head  of  these  de- 
stroying armies  they  are  called  "the  abomination 
of  desolation."  And  as  this  was  to  be  one  of  the 
signs  by  which  the  disciples  of  Jesus  were  to  know 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.      149 

wnen  to  fly  from  the  doomed  city,  Jesus  adds  for 
their  admonition:  "Whosoever  readeth,  let  him 
understand."  This  was  to  be  their  signal  for  im- 
mediate and  hasty  flight.  Now  as  to  the  history 
of  this  flight  we  are  told  that  "  full  two  years  be- 
fore the  final  investment  of  the  city,  Cestius  Gallus 
marched  a  Roman  army  upon  the  city,  and  com- 
menced its  siege.  Why  he  did  not  push  the  siege 
is  historically  unaccountable.  Josephus  says:  '  If 
he  had  continued  the  siege  but  a  little  longer,  he 
would  have  taken  the  city.  But  Cestius  removed 
his  army,  and  having  received  no  loss,  departed 
from  the  city/  This  warning  had  been  given;  the 
opportunity  for  flight  came.  The  Christians,  re- 
membering these  words,  fled  to  the  mountains  of 
Pella,  east  of  the  Jordan." 

See  how  distinctly  Jesus  puts  his  finger  on  the 
place  where  this  is  to  occur.  "  Let  them  which  be 
in  Judea."  The  prophecy  was  local,  and  referred 
to  Judea  and  Jerusalem,  and  to  no  other  place. 
No  doubt  the  disciples  obeyed  the  suggestion  of 
Jesus  to  "  pray  that  their  flight  be  not  in  the  win- 
ter, neither  on  the  Sabbath-day,''  and  received  an 
answer;  for  this  flight  took  place  in  October,  and 
the  day  after  Cestius  raised  the  siege  on  Tuesday, 
giving  the  disciples  time  to  escape  before  the  Sab- 
bath. 

"  For  then  shall  be  great  tribulation,  such  as  was 
not  since  the  beginning  of  the  world  to  this  time, 
no,  nor  ever  shall  be.  And  except  those  days 
should  be  shortened,  there  should  no  flesh  be 


150      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

saved:  but  for  the  elect's  sake  those  days  shall  be 
shortened." 

It  would  seem  that  all  the  facts  in  the  case  not 
only  fix  this  on  Jerusalem  and  its  fall  under  Titus, 
but  exclude  all  others.  No  one  can  read  the  his- 
tory of  this  event  written  by  Josephus  without  be- 
ing impressed  that  the  Saviour's  prediction  had  a 
literal  fulfillment  in  this  siege.  Strange  to  say,  Jo- 
sephus, in  trying  to  describe  the  horrors  of  this 
siege,  uses  the  identical  idea,  and  much  of  the 
language  of  Jesus.  He  says:  *'Of  all  the  cities 
which  were  subjected  to  the  Romans,  ours  was 
advanced  to  the  highest  felicity,  and  was  thrust 
down  again  to  the  extremest  misery;  for  if  the 
misfortunes  of  all  from  the  beginning  of  the  world 
were  compared  with  those  of  the  Jews,  they  would 
appear  much  inferior.  No  other  city  ever  suffered 
such  things,  as  no  other  generation  from  the  be- 
ginning of  the  world  was  ever  more  fruitful  of 
wickedness." 

Here  is  but  a  passage  or  two  to  give  some  idea 
of  these  times  as  seen  by  the  same  author.  Speak- 
ing of  the  seditious,  he  says:  "They  agreed  in 
nothing  but  this,  to  kill  those  that  were  innocent. 
The  voice  also  of  those  that  were  fighting  [this  was 
the  Jews  among  themselves]  was.  incessant,  both 
by  day  and  by  night;  but  the  lamentation  of  those 
that  mourned  exceeded  the  other.  Nor  was  there 
ever  any  occasion  for  them  to  leave  off  their  lam- 
entations: because  their  calamities  came  perpet- 
ually one  upon  another;  although  the  deep  con- 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.      151 

sternation  they  were  in  prevented  their  outward 
wailing.  But  being  constrained  by  their  fear  to 
conceal  their  inward  passions,  they  were,  inwardly 
tormented:  without  daring  to  open  their  lips  in 
groans.  Nor  was  any  regard  paid  to  those  that 
were  still  alive  by  their  relations :  nor  was  there 
any  care  taken  of  burial  for  those  that  were  dead. 
The  occasion  of  both  which  was,  that  every  one 
despaired  of  himself.  For  those  that  were  not 
among  the  seditious  had  no  great  desires  of  any 
thing;  as  expecting  for  certain,  that  they  should 
very  soon  be  destroyed.  But  for  the  seditious 
themselves,  they  fought  against  each  other  while 
they  trod  upon  the  dead  bodies,  as  they  lay  heaped 
one  upon  another;  and  taking  up  a  mad  rage  from 
these  dead  bodies  that  were  under  their  feet,  be- 
came the  fiercer  thereupon." 

Again,  when  the  Romans  broke  into  the  city,  he 
says  of  them:  "And  when  they  were  come  into  the 
houses  to  plunder  them,  they  found  in  them  entire 
families  of  dead  men ;  and  the  upper  rooms  full  of 
corpses  of  such  as  died  by  the  famine.  They  then 
stood  in  horror  at  the  sight ;  and  went  out  without 
touching  any  thing.  But  although  they  had  this 
commiseration  for  such  as  were  destroyed  in  that 
manner,  yet  had  they  not  the  same  for  those  that 
were  still  alive:  but  they  ran  every  one  through 
whom  they  met  with;  and  obstructed  the  very 
lanes  with  their  dead  bodies:  and  made  the  whole 
city  run  down  with  blood,  to  such  a  degree,  in- 
deed, that  the  fire  of  many  of  the  houses  was 
quenched  with  these  men's  blood. "». 


152      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

We  might  greatly  multiply  the  evidence  from 
this  author  to  prove  just  what  Jesus  said:  that 
there  "shall  be  tribulation,  such  as  was  not  since 
the  beginning  of  the  world  to  this  time."  And 
we  feel  satisfied  that  nothing  has  equaled  it  since. 
As  these  tribulations  extended  to  all  parts  of  the 
Jewish  nation,  it  was  well  for  "  the  elect "  (Chris- 
tian Jews)  to  pray  for  the  shortening  of  these  days, 
and  God  heard  and  answered  their  prayers,  or  the 
whole  nation  would  have  perished.  Titus  himself 
felt  and  acknowledged  that  God  had  helped  them, 
or  they  never  could  have  taken  Jerusalem.  When 
he  examined  the  strong  towers,  constructed  of  such 
immense  stones,  so  well  put  together,  he  said: 
"  We  have  certainly  had  God  for  our  assistant  in 
this  war;  and  it  was  no  other  than  God  who  eject- 
ed the  Jews  out  of  these  fortifications.  For  what 
could  the  hands  of  men,  or  any  machines,  do  to- 
ward overthrowing  these  towers."  And  again: 
"We  have  fought  with  God  on  our  side;  and  it  is 
God  who  hath  pulled  the  Jews  out  of  these  strong- 
holds; for  what  could  the  hands  of  men  or  ma- 
chines do  against  these  towers."  Thus  we  see 
"God  shortened  the  days  by  helping  the  Ro- 
mans." 

Christ  also  said,  "  There  shall  arise  false  Christs, 
and  false  phrophets,"  etc.  There  is  abundant 
proof  that  there  arose  at  this  time  men  who  claimed 
to  be  Christ,  and  did  deceive  many. 

Josephus  says,  in  describing  the  final  struggle: 
"A  false  propjiet  was  the  occasion  of  these  peo- 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     153 

pie's  destruction:  who  had  made  a  public  procla- 
mation in  the  city,  that  very  day,  that  '  God  com- 
manded to  get  up  upon  the  temple;  and  that  there 
they  should  receive  miraculous  signs  of  their  de- 
liverance.' Now  there  was  then  a  great  number 
of  false  prophets  suborned  by  the  tyrants  to  impose 
on  the  people,  who  told  them  that  they  should 
wait  for  deliverance  from  God."  Thus  does  this 
historian  confirm  the  words  of  Jesus,  and  fix  the 
fulfillment  of  this  prediction  on  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem  under  Titus. 

"  For  as  the  lightning  cometh  out  of  the  east, 
and  shineth  even  unto  the  west;  so  shall  also  the 
coming  of  the  Son  of  man  be." 

This  coming  of  Christ  was  to  be  in  judgment, 
with  the  Romans  as  his  sword.  Moses  had  pre- 
dicted this  very  thing,  even  describing  the  nation 
with  which  God  was  to  punish  them  before  that 
nation  had  an  existence.  "The  Lord  shall  bring 
a  nation  against  thee  from  far,  from  the  end  of  the 
earth,  as  swift  as  the  eagle  flieth,"  etc.  (Deut. 
xxviii.  49-52.)  He  tells  them  that  this  enemy  shall 
besiege  them  in  all  their  gates.  Again,  in  the  sec- 
ond Psalm,  we  are  told  that  Christ  should  break 
them  with  a  rod  of  iron ;  that  he  should  dash  them 
in  pieces  as  a  potter's  vessel.  When  Christ  should 
come  to  judgment,  they  would  have  no  need  to  ask 
where  is  he.  He  would  be  in  all  parts  of  their  land, 
dealing  blows  on  every  place.  Like  a  bright  flash 
of  lightning,  illuminating  the  heavens  and  the  earth 
from  horizon  to  horizon,  so  would  he  be.  The 


154      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

Roman  army  did  follow  the  very  course  marked 
out  by  this  prophecy  of  Jesus.  Instead  of  coming 
from  the  west,  they  came  from  the  east,  and  swept 
over  to  the  west,  laying  waste  the  land  everywhere. 

"  For  wheresoever  the  carcass  is,  there  will  the 
eagles  be  gathered  together."  The  whole  body  of 
the  Jewish  nation  was  despoiled  by  the  Roman  ea- 
gles. So  completely  was  their  whole  country  laid 
waste,  that  when  the  citizens  of  Antioch  met  Titus 
and  besought  him  to  expel  them  from  their  city,  his 
notable  answer  was:  "How  can  this  be  done, 
since  that  country  of  theirs,  whither  the  Jews  must 
then  be  obliged  to  retire,  is  destroyed,  and  no 
place  will  receive  them  besides?"  The  Jewish 
nation  was  morally  and  judicially  dead,  and  God 
sent  these  eagles  to  prey  upon  them.  Josephus 
says  there  was  no  part  of  Judea  which  did  not  par- 
take of  the  calamities  of  the  capital. 

"  Immediately  after  the  tribulation  of  those  days 
shall  the  sun  be  darkened,  and  the  moon  shall  not 
give  her  light,  and  the  stars  shall  fall  from  heaven, 
and  the  powers  of  the  heavens  shall  be  shaken: 
and  then  shall  appear  the  sign  of  the  Son  of  man 
in  heaven :  and  then  shall  all  the  tribes  of  the  earth 
mourn,  and  they  shall  see  the  Son  of  man  com- 
ing in  the  clouds  of  heaven  with  power  and  great 
glory." 

This  is  strong  symbolic  language,  intended  to 
show  that  the  whole  Jewish  polity,  civil  and  eccle- 
siastical, shall  be  whelmed  in  ruin,  and  that  it  shall 
be  the  work  of  Christ.  This  was  to  follow  "im- 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.      155 

mediately  after  the  tribulation  of  those  days." 
The  language  of  the  Saviour  forces  us  to  look  for 
this  fulfillment  immediately  upon  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem.  Christ  was  not  to  be  seen  with  the 
natural  eye ;  but  the  work  of  the  utter  overthrow 
of  the  Jewish  nation  and  Church,  according  to  his 
prediction,  was  to  be  so  plainly  his  that  all  should 
see  it  and  know  it.  It  is  no  uncommon  thing  for 
the  prophets  to  use  just  such  expressions  as  these 
with  reference  to  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars,  when 
speaking  of  great  calamities.  Christ  in  the  heav- 
ens above,  as  upon  the  clouds,  should  direct  the 
storm  that  should  work  this  dreadful  overthrow  of 
his  people. 

"And  he  shall  send  his  angels  with  a  great  sound 
of  a  trumpet,  and  they  shall  gather  together  his 
elect  from  the  four  winds,  from  one  end  of  heaven 
to  the  other." 

Immediately  upon  sweeping  the  Jewish  nation 
out  of  the  way,  Christ's  ministers  (often  called  an- 
gels) went  out  into  all  the  world  to  call  the  Gen- 
tiles— now  the  elect — to  come  together  unto  him. 
To  show  that  the  calamities  spoken  of  by  Christ  in 
this  wonderful  prophecy  would  soon  come,  Jesus 
uses  the  parable  of  the  budding  fig-tree  as  the  har- 
binger of  summer.  So  the  portents  spoken  of 
should  be  evidence  to  them  that  the  day  of  destruc- 
tion was  near  at  hand ;  and  as  if  to  fix  it  beyond 
all  danger  of  misapprehension,  he  says: 

"  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  This  generation  shall 
not  pass,  till  all  these  things  be  fulfilled." 


156      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

Christ  meant  just  what  he  said.  There  were 
men  then  living  who  should  see  the  calamities 
spoken  of  by  him  come  to  pass — yea,  should  see 
their  entire  fulfillment.  His  councils  were  fixed, 
and  heaven  and  earth  would  sooner  pass  away  than 
his  words  should  fail.  And  yet,  near  at  hand  as 
the  time  was,  no  man  knew  it;  nor  did  the  angels: 
only  the  Father. 

He  then  compares  the  suddenness  of  his  coming 
to  the  coming  of  the  flood  in  the  days  of  Noah, 
and  uses  an  expression  that  exactly  describes  the 
events  of  that  time : 

"  Then  shall  two  be  in  the  field ;  the  one  shall  be 
taken,  and  the  other  left.  Two  women  shall  be 
grinding  at  the  mill;  the  one  shall  be  taken,  and 
the  other  left." 

At  the  given  signal,  "the  abomination  of  desola- 
tion standing  in  the  holy  place,"  they  were  to  flee 
to  the  mountains,  not  taking  time  for  any  thing. 
If  two  men  were  at  work  side  by  side  in  the  field, 
one  a  Christian  and  the  other  not,  and  the  Chris- 
tian saw  the  signal  of  flight,  he  was  to  leave  his 
companion  and  fly.  So  of  the  women — one  should 
"be  taken,  and  the  other  left;  "  just  as  Noah  and 
his  family  were  taken  into  the  ark,  and  the  rest  left 
to  their  destruction.  How  natural,  then,  the  ex- 
hortation to  watch  for  the  signal. 

Jesus  then  uses  the  parable  of  the  ten  virgins  to 
illustrate  this  fact.  The  wise  virgins  represented 
the  Christians  who  watched  for  the  sign  of  the  Son 
of  man,  and  were  safely  housed  from  destruction 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     157 

in  the  mountains  of  Pella;  while  the  foolish  virgins 
represented  those  who  were  left  in  the  city,  encom- 
passed by  the  Roman  armies.  Again  he  repeats 
the  command:  "  Watch!  " 

This  parable  is  intimately  connected  with  the  fol- 
lowing one  of  the  talents,  which  is  to  show  that  the 
Jewish  nation  had  hid  their  talent  in  the  earth,  and 
thus  proved  themselves  utterly  unworthy  to  take 
care  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  should 
therefore  be  taken  from  them,  and  given  to  the 
Gentiles.  Not  only  so,  but  the  unprofitable  serv- 
ant should  be  cast  into  outer  darkness.  Then  it 
was  easy  and  natural  to  speak  of  the  final  coming 
of  the  Son  of  man  to  judge  all  men  at  the  last  day. 
This  he  does  in  Matthew  xxv.  31-46. 

But  we  have  to  deal  especially  with  the  wonder- 
ful predictions  found  in  the  previous  chapter. 
The  very  things  spoken  of  by  Jesus  in  this  proph- 
ecy were  foretold  by  Isaiah.  No  doubt  in  the  re- 
markable sermon  delivered  in  Nazareth,  that  first 
enchanted  and  then  angered  his  hearers  to  such  an 
extent  as  to  incite  them  to  try  and  take  his  life, 
Jesus  referred  to  this  prophecy.  Luke  only  gives 
us  a  few  of  the  verses  of  this  prophecy,  all  of 
which  we  believe  was  read  and  commented  on  by 
the  Saviour.  We  can  account  for  the  sudden 
change  of  demeanor  of  the  people  in  no  other  way. 
The  prophet  first  speaks  of  the  blessing  of  Christ's 
coming;  tells  us  plainly  that  "the  Gentiles  shall 
see  thy  righteousness,  and  all  kings  thy  glory:  and 
thou  shalt  be  called  by  a  new  name,  which  the 


158      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

mouth  of  the  Lord  shall  name."  Then,  referring 
to  the  Christian  age,  he  says:  "  I  have  set  watch- 
men upon  thy  walls,  O  Jerusalem,  which  shall 
never  hold  their  peace  day  nor  night."  Jerusalem 
in  this  place  does  not  mean  the  city  in  Palestine, 
but  it  is  the  New  Jerusalem,  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ.  After  speaking  of  the  establishment  of 
this  Church,  he  then  refers  to  the  judgments  that 
he  will  bring  upon  Jerusalem  proper  and  the  Jew- 
ish people.  The  prophet  sees  him  coming  with 
"dyed  garments,"  and  he  asks  the  question: 
"Wherefore  art  thou  red  in  thine  apparel,  and 
thy  garments  like  him  that  treadeth  in  the  wine- 
fat?"  And  the  answer  comes  as  from  Jesus  him- 
self: "I  have  trodden  the  wine-press  alone;  and 
of  the  people  there  was  none  with  me:  for  I  will 
tread  them  in  mine  anger,  and  trample  them  in  my 
fury;  and  their  blood  shall  be  sprinkled  upon  my 
garments,  and  I  will  stain  all  my  raiment.  For  the 
day  of  vengeance  is  in  mine  heart,  and  the  year  of 
my  redeemed  is  come.  .  .  .  They  rebelled,  and 
vexed  his  Holy  Spirit:  therefore  he  was  turned  to 
be  their  enemy,  and  he  fought  against  them." 
Then,  after  referring  to  the  fact  that  they  had  been 
his  people,  and  offering  one  of  the  most  touching 
prayers,  concluding  with  the  declaration:  "Our 
holy  and  our  beautiful  house,  where  our  fathers 
praised  thee,  is  burned  up  with  fire:  and  all  our 
pleasant  things  are  laid  waste.  Wilt  thou  refrain 
thyself  for  these  things,  O  Lord?  wilt  thou  hold 
thy  peace,  and  afflict  us  very  sore?"  Jesus  an- 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     159 

swers:  "I  am  sought  of  them  that  asked  not  for 
me;  I  am  found  of  them  that  sought  me  not:  I 
said,  Behold  me,  behold  me,  unto  a  nation  that 
was  not  called  by  my  name.  I  have  spread  out 
my  hands  all  the  day  unto  a  rebellious  people, 
which  walketh  in  a  way  that  was  not  good,  after 
their  own  thoughts ;  a  people  that  provoketh  me  to 
anger  continually  to  my  face." 

When  Jesus,  in  his  sermon  at  Nazareth,  came  to 
this  prophecy,  and  they  felt  its  application  to  them, 
"they  were  filled  with  wrath,  and  rose  up,  and 
thrust  him  out  of  the  city,  and  led  him  unto  the 
brow  of  the  hill  whereon  their  city  was  built,  that 
they  might  cast  him  down  headlong.*'  But  we 
shall  see  this  thing  more  clearly  revealed  in  Reve- 
lation, when  we  come  to  examine  that  book. 

We  can  see  nothing  in  this  whole  prophecy  of 
Jesus  that  cannot  be  applied  to  the  coming  of 
Christ  for  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem.  Any 
other  interpretation  is  far-fetched  and  unnatural. 
Once  break  away  from  this  application,  and  we 
open  the  flood-gates  of  wild  speculation  to  pour  out 
an  endless  stream  of  conflicting  views  and  interpre- 
tations that  will  even  whelm  faith  in  the  Book  of 
of  God  itself. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

The  Book  of  Revelation— Letters  to  the  Seven  Churches— The 
Book  Sealed  with  Seven  Seals — Sealing  of  the  Saints — The 
Seven  Trumpets. 

LET  us  come  to  the  examination  of  the  closing 
book  of  Revelation,  the  book  that  has  been 
the  innocent  cause  of  more  wild  speculations  than 
perhaps  all  the  rest  of  the  Bible  combined ;  and  yet 
when  held  in  the  proper  light  is  as  easy  of  ex- 
planation as  almost  any  other  part  of  God's  word. 

And  let  me  say  in  the  beginning  that  we  shall  be 
disappointed  if  we  expect  to  find  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic Church  in  this  book.  The  main  prophecies  of 
the  book  had  their  immediate  fulfillment.  It  is  a 
scenic  representation  of  the  overthrow  of  the  first 
two  great  persecuting  powers  of  Christianity — 
namely,  the  Jews,  with  their  center  of  power  at  Je- 
rusalem; and  the  Romans,  with  theirs  at  Rome — 
the  whole  closing  with  a  grand  representation  of 
the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ,  as  it  shall  go  forth  in 
its  prosperity  after  these  two  great  persecuting  pow- 
ers are  broken  and  destroyed. 

John  strikes  the  prelude  to  this  grand  drama 
when  he  says:  "Behold,  he  cometh  with  clouds; 
and  every  eye  shall  see  him,  and  they  also  which 
pierced  him:  and  all  kindreds  of  the  earth  shall 
wail  because  of  him.  Even  so,  Amen." 

Jesus  had  told  Caiaphas:  "  Hereafter  shall  ye  see 
(160) 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     161 

the  Son  of  man  sitting  on  the  right  hand  of  power, 
and  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven."  It  was  to 
this  coming  of  Jesus  to  judge  Jerusalem  that  he  re- 
fers. All  should  see  and  know  that  these  judg- 
ments were  from  him — not  of  men — as  he  sits  at 
the  right  hand  of  power  in  the  heavens.  Every 
eye  should  see  him,  both  friend  and  foe,  and  they 
also  which  pierced  him.  It  was  only  forty  years 
after  the  crucifixion  that  Jerusalem  was  destroyed, 
and  no  doubt  there  were  many  of  those  who  took 
part  in  the  condemnation  and  crucifixion  of  Jesus 
still  alive.  They  had  pierced  him,  had  heard  his 
dying  groans,  and  saw  his  head  fall  upon  his  life- 
less bosom;  saw  him  wrapped  in  the  cerements  of 
the  grave  and  laid  away  in  the  chambers  of  the 
dead.  But  for  years  they  had  heard  his  followers 
declaring  that  he  had  risen  from  the  dead  and  gone 
up  on  high,  where  he  sitteth  at  the  right  hand  of 
God,  expecting  till  his  enemies  be  made  his  foot- 
stool. Now  they  were  to  see  him,  see  him  "  com- 
ing in  the  clouds  of  heaven  "  with  power  and  great 
glory.  And  when  the  blow  should  fall  upon  the 
second  great  persecuting  power — pagan  Rome- 
all  nations  should  feel  the  effect,  "  and  all  kindreds 
of  the  earth  shall  wail  because  of  him."  How 
graphic  is  the  description  of  the  fulfillment  of  this 
prediction,  as  found  in  the  eighteenth  chapter: 
"And  the  kings  of  the  earth,  who  have  committed 
fornication  and  lived  deliciously  with  her,  shall  be- 
wail her,  and  lament  for  her,  when  they  shall  see 
the  smoke  of  her  burning,  standing  afar  off  for 
11 


162      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

the  fear  of  her  torment,  saying,  Alas,  alas,  that 
great  city  Babylon,  that  mighty  city!  for  in  one 
hour  is  thy  judgment  come.  .  .  .  And  the 
merchants  of  these  things,  which  were  made 
rich  by  her,  shall  stand  afar  off  for  the  fear  of  her 
torment,  weeping  and  wailing,  and  saying,  Alas, 
alas,  that  great  city,  that  was  clothed  in  fine  linen, 
and  purple,  and  scarlet,  and  decked  with  gold,  and 
precious  stones,  and  pearls !  For  in  one  hour  so 
great  riches  is  come  to  nought.  And  every  ship- 
master, and  all  the  company  in  ships,  and  sailors, 
and  as  many  as  trade  by  sea,  stood  afar  off,  and 
cried  when  they  saw  the  smoke  of  her  burning, 
saying,  What  city  is  like  unto  this  great  city  !  And 
they  cast  dust  on  their  heads,  and  cried,  weeping 
and  wailing,  saying,  Alas,  alas,  that  great  city, 
wherein  were  made  rich  all  that  had  ships  in  the 
sea  by  reason  of  her  costliness !  for  in  one  hour  is 
she  made  desolate."  And  we  must  not  forget  the 
expression  of  satisfaction,  "Even  so,  Amen,*'  as 
uttered  by  God's  people;  for  it  is  said  in  immedi- 
diate  connection  with  this  wailing  of  the  kings  and 
merchants.  "  Rejoice  over  her,  thou  heaven,  and 
ye  holy  apostles  and  prophets;  for  God  hath 
avenged  you  on  her."  Let  us  not  anticipate,  but 
come  to  a  careful  examination  of  this  book. 

John,  as  if  to  put  us  on  our  guard  against  refer- 
ring the  revelations  of  this  book  to  future  ages,  tells 
us  that  this  is  a  revelation  of  "  things  which  must 
shortly  come  to  pass."  They  are  not  of  things  that 
lie  thousands  of  years  remote,  but  he  repeats  the 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     163 

idea,  "for  the  time  is  at  hand."  He  tells  us  that 
he  is  in  the  isle  called  Patmos,  for  the  word  of  God 
and  for  the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ.  Jesus  appears 
to  him,  commanding  him  to  write  what  he  should 
see  "in  a  book,  and  send  it  to  the  seven  Churches 
which  are  in  Asia."  It  is'evident  that  he  is  to  send 
all  that  is  written  unto  these  Churches,  and  not  just 
the  several  special  messages  addressed  to  each  by 
name,  as  found  in  the  second  and  third  chapters. 
These  Churches  lay  just  where  they  would  be 
subject  to  the  greatest  trials;  and  as  there  were 
certain  facts  connected  with  each  of  them  that  re- 
quired a  separate  message,  John  was  directed  to 
write  to  them,  and  stir  them  up  to  preparation  for 
the  coming  calamities  and  trials.  Their  faults  and 
weaknesses  are  faithfully  pointed  out,  and  a  special 
promise  made  to  those  of  them  who  should  over- 
come: 

"To  him  that  overcometh,"  in  Ephesu-s,  Jesus 
says,  "will  I  give  to  eat  of  the  tree  of  life,  which  is 
in  the  midst  of  the  paradise  of  God."  This  tree  is 
specially  described  in  the  closing  scenes  of  the. 
book. 

To  him  that  overcometh,  in  Smyrna,  he  prom- 
ises that ' '  he  shall  not  be  hurt  of  the  second  death. ' ' 
This  second  death  we  also  find  amid  the  closing 
scenes. 

To  him  that  overcometh,  in  Pergamos,  he  prom- 
ises to  give  "to  eat  of  the  hidden  manna,  and  will 
give  him  a  white  stone,  and  in  the  stone  a  new 
name  written,  which  no  man  knoweth  saving  he 


164      The  Kingdom  and  Coming's  of  Christ, 

that  receiveth  it. ' '  We  also  find  the  promise :  '  *  For 
the  Lamb  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne  shall 
feed  them."-  As  to  the  new  name,  we  naturally 
turn  our  thought  to  the  great  Conqueror,  of  whom 
it  is  said:  "  He  had  a  name  written  that  no  man 
knew  but  he  himself."  * 

To  him  that  overcometh,  in  Thyatira,  the  prom- 
ise is  to  "  give  power  over  the  nations."  This  was 
a  glorious  promise.  The  nations  of  earth  were 
persecuting  the  followers  of  Jesus,  and  often  de- 
stroying them.  The  promise,  then,  that  he  should 
have  power  over  these  nations  was  very  full  of 
comfort. 

To  him  of  Sardis  who  should  overcome,  the 
promise  was  that  "the  same  shall  be  clothed  in 
white  raiment;  and  I  will  not  blot  out  his  name 
out  of  the  book  of  life,  but  I  will  confess  his  name 
before  my  Father,  and  before  his  angels."  In  the 
body  of  the  book  we  see  the  great  multitude  which 
no  man  can  number,  "clothed  with  white  robes, 
and  palms  in  their  hands." 

To  him  of  Philadelphia  that  overcometh  is  the 
promise:  "I  will  make  a  pillar  in  the  temple  of  my 
God,  and  he  shall  go  no  more  out:  and  I  will  write 
upon  him  the  name  of  my  God,  and  the  name  of 
the  city  of  my  God,  which  is  New  Jerusalem, 
which  cometh  down  out  of  heaven  from  my  God: 
and  I  will  write  upon  him  my  new  name." 

We  find  the  description  of  this  New  Jerusalem 
in  the  last  chapters  of  the  book,  as  well  as  the  com- 
pany that  stood  with  the  Lamb  upon  Mount  Zion, 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.      165 

"  having  his  Father's  name  written  in  their  fore- 
heads." 

To  him  of  Laodicea  who  should  overcome,  the 
promise  is:  "I  will  grant  to  sit  with  me  in  my 
throne,  even  as  I  also  overcame,  and  am  set  down 
with  my  Father  in  his  throne." 

In  the  last  chapter  of  this  Revelation  we  have 
the  blessed  declaration:  "And  there  shall  be  no 
more  curse:  but  the  throne  of  God  and  of  the 
Lamb  shall  be  in  it;  and  his  servants  shall  serve 
him:  and  they  shall  see  his  face;  and  his  name 
shall  be  in  their  foreheads." 

From  these  promises,  all  of  which  are  to  be 
found  in  the  latter  part  of  the  book,  we  are  fully 
satisfied  that  the  whole  of  Revelation  was  intended 
for  and  addressed  to  the  Seven  Churches. 

In  the  opening  vision  the  great  Alpha  and  Ome- 
ga, their  glorified  Lord  and  Saviour,  appears  in 
surpassing  majesty — a  majesty  that  he  is  to  sus- 
tain throughout  the  grand  panorama  that  passes 
in  review  from  this  opening  manifestation  to  the 
closing  scene.  To  each  of  the  Churches  he  holds 
up  some  special  feature  of  this  manifestation ;  but 
to  all  of  them  he  is  the  Almighty,  walking  among 
the  golden  candlesticks  (the  Churches),  holding 
in  his  right  hand  the  stars  (ministers)  of  these 
Churches.  What  we  find  in  this  opening  chapter, 
and  in  the  letters  to  the  Churches,  we  find  in  the 
body  of  the  work.  In  a  word,  the  whole  thing  is 
so  connected  that  one  must  do  violence  to  all  laws 
of  unity  to  separate  it.  Every  word  written  must 


1 66      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

be  read  by  all.  The  mighty  Conqueror,  and  the 
avenger  of  the  blood  of  his  saints,  had  risen  and 
girded  his  sword  upon  his  thigh;  had  mounted 
his  white  steed,  and  the  shout  of  battle  was  soon 
to  be  on  his  lips  The  season  of  tribulation,  such 
as  the  world  had  never  seen,  was  just  at  hand ; 
and  ere  the  bugle  blast  that  should  sound  to  the 
charge  should  fall  upon  the  ears  of  the  startled 
world  the  faithful,  loving  Jesus  would  warn  his 
followers  and  house  them  from  the  slaughter.  The 
last  earnest  warning  he  gave  them  while  in  the 
flesh — to  "  watch  therefore;  for  ye  know  neither 
the  day  nor  the  hour  wherein  the  Son  of  man 
cometh  " — he  would  now  repeat,  that  they  might 
not  be  involved  in  the  great  calamity.  Grand  and 
glorious  as  he  appeared,  yet  they  were  to  know 
that  he  was  none  other  than  their  crucified,  risen 
Lord,  he  that  was  dead  but  now  alive  for  ever- 
more, holding  in  his  right  hand  the  "keys  of  hell 
and  of  death."  Though  long  sealed,  and  only  in 
the  knowledge  of  the  Father,  the  hour  was  at  hand 
when  that  Father  would  deliver  the  sealed  book 
into  the  hand  of  his  Son,  who  should  break  one 
seal  after  another,  and  unroll  the  awful  secret  in 
time  for  the.  safety  of  his  beloved. 

Most  writers  on  this  book  have  referred  the 
prophecies  to  times  long  after  the  writing  of  them, 
bringing  many  of  them  down  to  our  times;  and 
others  leave  some  of  them  to  be  fulfilled  near  the 
end  of  time.  But  should  we  not  listen  to  the  fre- 
quent declarations  of  the  book  itself.  The  open- 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     167 

ing  sentence  is,  "  The  Revelation  of  Jesus  Christ, 
which  God  gave  unto  him,  to  show  unto  his  servants 
things  which  must  shortly  come  to  pass."  "  Blessed 
is  he  that  readeth,  and  they  that  hear  the  words  of 
this  prophecy,  .  .  .  for  the  time  is  at  hand." 
Books  were  only  written  in  those  days,  and  hence 
there  were  but  few  copies;  and  people  had  to  de- 
pend upon  readers,  and  the  inditing  Spirit,  know- 
ing that  the  time  was  short,  pronounces  a  special 
blessing  upon  the  reader,  and  also  upon  the  hearer. 
If  its  contents  be  not  soon  known,  it  will  be  too  late. 

Mr.  Henry  Cowles  says:  "'Write  the  things 
which  thou  hast  seen,  and  the  things  which  are, 
and  the  things  which  shall  be  hereafter'  (i.  19); 
but  this  'hereafter'  is  not  the  remote,  indefinite 
future,  but,  according  to  the  original  (meta  tautd), 
the  things  which  follow  closely  after,  in  the  closest 
connection  with  present  events.  The  same  lan- 
guage and  in  the  same  sense  appears  (iv.  i): 
4  Come  up  hither  [into  this  open  heaven],  and  I 
will  show  thee  things  which  must  be  hereafter ' — 
i.  e.,  in  close  connection  with  the  present,  things 
which  must  be  very  soon" 

Near  the  close  of  the  book  we  have  similar  dec- 
larations showing  that  these  are  times  that  apply  to 
all  the  book.  In  the  last  chapter  John  is  com- 
manded to  "  Seal  not  the  sayings  of  the  prophecy 
of  this  book:  for  the  time  is  at  hand"  We  can- 
not close  our  eyes  to  such  plain  declarations  as 
these. 

After  the  letters  to  the  seven  Churches,  Jesus 


1 68      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

stands  ready  to  reveal  the  things  that  must  shortly 
come  to  pass.  He  begins  with  the  revelations  con- 
cerning the  first  great  persecuting  power,  the  Jew- 
ish nation. 

John  sees  an  open  door  in  heaven,  and  hears  the 
first  voice  calling  him  to  "  Come  up  hither,  and  I 
will  show  thee  things  which  must  be  hereafter,"  or 
soon,  as  it  is  in  the  original.  In  the  former  vision 
he  sees  the  Son  of  man  walking  amid  the  candle- 
sticks as  if  for  the  assurance  and  protection  of  the 
Churches.  Now  he  sees  things  in  heaven;  one 
upon  a  throne.  He  attempts  no  description  of  this 
being.  It  is  evidently  God  the  Father.  Round 
about  this  throne  he  sees  four  and  twenty  elders 
sitting,  clothed  in  white  raiment,  with  croWns  of 
gold  upon  their  heads,  and  out  of  the  throne  pro- 
ceeded lightnings,  and  thunderings,  and  voices. 
Before  the  throne  the  seven  Spirits  of  God.  Round 
about  the  throne,  four  living  creatures  (unfor- 
tunately called  beasts  in  the  Authorized  Version). 
They  each  had  four  faces,  and  six  wings, ' '  and  they 
rest  not  day  and  night,  saying,  Holy,  holy,  holy, 
Lord  God  Almighty,  which  was,  and  is,  and  is  to 
come.  And  when  these  living  creatures  give  glory 
and  honor  and  thanks  to  him  that  sat  on  the  throne, 
who  liveth  forever  and  ever,  the  four  and  twenty 
elders  fall  down  before  him  "  also. 

These  twenty-four  elders  perhaps  represent  the 
patriarchs  and  apostles,  or  the  heads  of  the  two 
dispensations,  while  the  four  living  creatures  are 
no  doubt  the  seraphim  seen  in  the  vision  of  Isaiah ; 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     169 

for  the  descriptions  are  almost  identical.  At  any 
rate,  they  are  intelligent  creatures  that  minister  be- 
fore the  throne. 

This  chapter  only  prepares  us  for  the  revela- 
tions to  be  made.  John  says:  "  I  saw  in  .the  right 
hand  of  him  that  sat  on  the  throne  a  book  written 
within  and  on  the  back  side,  sealed  with  seven 
seals."  This  was  a  parchment  roll  that  was  writ- 
ten on  both  sides,  "  within  and  on  the  back  side," 
and  it  was  sealed  in  seven  sections  or  parts. 

The  prophet  now  advances  a  step  farther.  A 
strong  angel  makes  a  proclamation  with  a  loud 
voice:  "Who  is  worthy  to  open  the  book  and  to 
loose  the  seals  thereof?"  This  book  is  evidently 
the  book  containing  the  things  that  must  shortly 
come  to  pass.  No  man,  either  in  heaven  or  earth, 
neither  under  the  earth,  is  able  to  open  the  book, 
neither  to  look  thereon.  John  is  overcome  with 
grief  at  this  fact,  when  one  of  the  elders  assures 
him  that  "  the  Lion  of  the  tribe  of  Juda,  the  Root 
of  David,  hath  prevailed  to  open  the  book,  and  to 
loose  the  seven  seals  thereof.'  '  Just  then  he  makes 
a  discovery:  "  In  the  midst  of  the  throne  and  of  the 
four  living  creatures,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  elders, 
stood  a  Lamb  as  it  had  been  slain,  having  seven 
horns  and  seven  eyes,  which  are  the  seven  Spirits 
of  God  sent  forth  into  all  the  earth.  And  he  came 
and  took  the  book  out  of  the  right  hand  of  him  that 
sat  upon  the  throne . ' '  Then  the  four  living  creatures 
and  the  twenty-four  elders  fall  before  the  Lamb,  and 
sing  a  new  song,  saying:  "  Thou  art  worthy  to  take 


170      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

the  book,  and  to  open  the  seals  thereof.''  Then  an 
almost  countless  number  of  angels  join  in  the  song, 
and  to  this  is  added  the  song  of  every  creature  in 
heaven  and  earth  and  under  the  earth  and  in  the 
sea.  And  as  their  song  concludes,  the  four  living 
creatures  say,  "Amen,"  showing  that  all  the  intel- 
ligent creatures  of  God  are  deeply  interested  in  the 
revelations  to  be  made  when  the  seals  of  this  \von- 
derful  book  shall  be  loosed. 

When  the  Lamb  opened  one  of  the  seals,  one  of 
the  living  creatures,  with  a  voice  of  thunder,  said: 
"  Come."  It  is  not  "Come  and  see,"  as  is  found 
in  the  Authorized  Version  as  addressed  to  John, 
but  it  is  a  command  to  the  rider  on  the  white  horse. 
At  the  thundering  voice,  "  Come,"  there  leaped 
forth  "  a  white  horse:  and  he  that  sat  on  him  had 
a  bow;  and  a  crown  was  given  unto  him:  and  he 
went  forth  conquering,  and  to  conquer."  This  is 
a  symbol  of  the  Messiah  riding  forth  to  victory. 
He  had  been  at  the  right  hand  of  God  the  Father 
waiting  the  time  when  he  should  "  make  his  ene- 
mies his  footstool."  This  time  had  now  come, 
and  he,  as  a  conqueror,  should  "  strike  through 
kings  in  the  day  of  his  wrath."  He  was  armed 
with  a  bow:  he  was  ready  for  battle;  "and  a 
crown  was  given  unto  him,"  showing  that  he  had 
full  authority  as  a  king  to  execute  judgment,  as  he 
says  in  his  parable :  "  He  sent  forth  his  armies,  and 
destroyed  those  murderers,  and  burned  up  their 
city."  He  had  now  mounted  for  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem  and  its  inhabitants. 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     171 

"And  when  he  had  opened  the  second  seal,  I 
heard  the  second  living  creature  saying,  Come. 
And  there  went  out  another  horse  that  was  red; 
and  power  was  given  to  him  that  sat  thereon  to 
take  peace  from  the  earth,  and  that  they  should 
kill  one  another:  and  there  was  given  unto  him  a 
great  sword." 

This  is  a  symbol  of  war.  We  are  now  at  a  period 
immediately  preceding  the  destruction  of  Jerusa- 
lem. It  did  seem  just  at  this  time  that  peace  had 
fled  the  earth.  "Nero  had  perished;  and  first 
Otho,  then  Vitellus,  and  then  Vespatian — each  with 
his  influence  setting  the  whole  Roman  empire  into 
conflicts.  Army  against  army!  These  armies, 
sometimes  going  forth  in  the  interest  of  one  claim- 
ant to  the  imperial  purple,  would  espouse  the  cause 
of  another  on  the  eve  of  battle ;  and  thus  like  con- 
tending wirids  on  a  stormy  sea  they  tore  the  empire 
into  factions  and  deluged  the  land  with  blood. 
Then  there  was  war  between  Jews  and  Romans, 
between  John  of  Giscala  and  Simon ;  men  should 
slay  one  another  in  internecine  and  civil  discord. 
It  was  an  epoch  of  massacres.  There  had  been 
massacres  at  Alexandria,  massacres  at  Seleucia, 
massacres  at  Jamnia,  massacres  at  Damascus,  mas- 
sacres at  Caesarea,  massacres  at  Bedriacum.  There 
had  been  wars  in  Britain,  wars  in  Armenia,  wars 
in  Gaul,  wars  in  Italy,  wars  in  Arabia,  wars  in  Par- 
thia,  wars  in  Judea.  Disbanded  soldiers  and  ma- 
rauding troops  filled  the  world  with  rapine,  terror, 
and  massacre.  The  world  was  like  an  aceldama, 


172      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

or  field  of  blood.  The  red  horse  and  its  rider  are 
but  a  visible  image  of  the  words  of  our  Lord: 
'For  nation  shall  rise  against  nation,  and  kingdom 
against  kingdom;  '  and  'ye  shall  hear  of  wars  and 
rumors  of  wars/  which  things  '  are  the  beginnings 
of  sorrows.'  '  This  rider  upon  the  red  horse,  as 
well  as  all  the  others,  is  under  the  command  of  the 
Messiah,  who  heads  the  list  on  his  white  horse.  In 
a  word,  it  is  Jesus  now  gone  forth  with  all  his  in- 
struments to  judge  and  punish  his  people  for  their 
rejection  of  him  and  all  their  added  crimes.  The 
time  had  come  for  him  to  "  break  them  with  a  rod 
of  iron,"  to  "dash  them  in  pieces  as  a  potter's 
vessel." 

At  the  opening  of  the  third  seal  the  third  living 
creature  shouted,  "  Come;"  and  there  leaped  forth 
"  a  black  horse ;  and  he  that  sat  on  him  had  a  pair 
of  balances  in  his  hand.  And  I  heard  a  voice  in 
the  midst  of  the  four  living  creatures  say,  A  meas- 
ure of  wheat  for  a  penny,  and  three  measures  of 
barley  for  a  penny;  and  see  thou  hurt  not  the  oil 
and  the  wine." 

This  is  a  symbol  of  famine.  When  Jerusalem 
was  besieged,  there  was  an  abundant  supply  of 
corn;  but  the  several  parties  in  the  city  burned 
these  stores  of  corn  and  other  provisions,  thus,  as 
Josephus  expresses  it,  "cutting  off  the  nerves  of 
their  own  power."  He  also  says:  "Almost  all  the 
corn  was  burned,  which  would  have  been  sufficient 
for  a  siege  of  many  years.  So  they  were  taken  by 
the  famine,  which  it  was  impossible  they  should 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.      173 

have  been  unless  they  had  thus  prepared  the  way 
for  it  by  this  procedure." 

Speaking  of  this  famine,  he  says:  "  Many  there 
were,  indeed,  who  sold  what  they  had  for  one 
measure.  It  was  of  wheat,  if  they  were  of  the 
richer  sort;  but  of  barley,  if  they  were  poorer. 
.  .  A  table  was  nowhere  laid  for  a  distinct 
meal,  but  they  snatched  the  bread  out  of  the  fire, 
half-baked,  and  devoured  it  very  hastily.  It  was 
now  a  miserable  case,  and  a  sight  that  would  justly 
bring  tears  into  your  eyes,  how  men  stood  as  to 
their  food.  .  .  .  Children  pulled  the  very 
morsels  that  their  fathers  were  eating  out  of  their 
mouths;  and,  what  was  still  more  to  be  pitied,  so 
did  the  mothers  do  to  their  infants.  And  when 
those  that  were  most  dear  were  perishing  under 
their  hands,  they  were  not  ashamed  to  take  from 
them  the  very  last  drops  that  might  preserve  their 
lives.  .  .  .  The  old  men  who  held  their  food 
fast  were  beaten :  and  if  the  women  hid  what  they 
had  within  their  hands,  their  hair  was  torn  for  so 
doing.  Nor  was  there  any  commiseration  shown 
either  to  the  aged  or  to  the  infants ;  but  they  lifted 
up  children  from  the  ground  as  they  hung  upon  the 
morsels  they  had  gotten,  and  shook  them  down 
upon  the  floor.  Moreover,  their  hunger  was  so  in- 
tolerable that  it  obliged  them  to  chew  every  thing, 
while  they  gathered  and  ate  such  things  as  the  most 
sordid  animals  would  not  touch ;  nor  did  they  at 
length  abstain  from  girdles  and  shoes;  and  the 
very  leather  which  belonged  to  their  shields  they 


174      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

pulled  off  and  gnawed.  Even  whisps  of  old  hay 
became  food  to  some,  and  some  gathered  up  fibers 
and  sold  a  very  small  weight  of  them  for  four  At- 
tic drachmas  [one  shekel]."  And  yet,  strange  to 
say,  in  Jerusalem,  where  such  a  famine  at  this  time 
prevailed,  "John  of  Giscala  and  his  zealots  had  ac- 
cess to  the  sacred  stores  of  wine  and  oil 'in  the  tem- 
ple, and  wasted  it  with  reckless  extravagance ;  and 
Simon's  followers  were  even  hindered  from  righting 
by  their  perpetual  drunkenness." 

We  are  bold  to  say  that  this  symbol  can  be  ap- 
plied to  no  other  time  or  place  than  this  memorable 
siege  of  Jerusalem.  As  the  coin  to  the  die  every 
feature  of  it  applies,  and  any  attempt  to  apply  this 
seal  to  any  other  time  or  place  can  but  be  vain. 
Let  us  in  this,  as  in  other  things,  apply  the  rules  of 
common  sense  and  just  interpretation,  and  be  done 
with  the  wild  vagaries  that  have  filled  the  world 
with  false  doctrines. 

"And  when  he  had  opened  the  fourth  seal,  I 
heard  the  voice  of  the  fourth  living  creature  say, 
Come.  And  I  looked,  and  behold  a  pale  horse: 
and  his  name  that  sat  on  him  was  Death,  and 
Hell  followed  with  him.  And  power  was  given 
unto  them  over  the  fourth  part  of  the  earth,  to 
kill  with  sword,  and  with  hunger,  and  with  death, 
and  with  the  beasts  of  the  earth." 

Here  is  a  symbol  with  its  very  name  announced. 
The  rider  is  Death,  going  forth  with  his  four  faith- 
ful allies — sword,  famine,  pestilence,  and  wild 
beasts — while  Hell  followed  to  garner  the  harvest 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.      175 

as  it  fell  before  these  mighty  reapers.  Of  course  the 
term  "earth,"  as  used  here,  as  is  often  the  case  in 
the  Scriptures,  refers  to  Palestine,  that  portion  of 
the  earth  being  dealt  with  in  the  symbol.  We  have 
no  means  of  determining  accurately  as  to  the  fourth 
part,  but  f  romthe  massacres  all  over  the  land  we  are 
fully  persuaded  that  a  full  fourth  of  the  Jews  per- 
ished. Josephus  estimates  the  loss  of  life  in  Jerusa- 
lem alone  at  1,100,000,  while  multitudes  perished  in 
other  cities  also :  "At  Alexandria,  50,000;  at  Cassa- 
rea,  10,000;  at  Scythopolis,  13,000;  at  Damascus, 
10,000;  at  Jotapata,  30,000."  This  list  might  be 
multiplied  almost  indefinitely.  "  In  every  city 
there  were  hostile  armies,  and  there  was  no  safety 
for  any  one  but  in  the  strength  of  the  party  to 
which  he  belonged.  At  Askelon,  Ptolemais,  Tyre, 
Hippo,  and  Gadara  the  Jews  were  involved  in  one 
general  massacre,"  etc.  (Jahn.)  "And  when  in 
A.D.  67  Vespasian  swept  through  Galilee  and  Sa- 
maria, and  city  after  city  fell  before  him,  the 
scenes  of  horror  and  carnage  were  fearful;  the 
merciless  sword  spared  neither  age  nor  sex;  cities 
were  left  without  inhabitants." 

The  opening  of  the  fifth  seal  is  a  very  important 
one,  as  it  shows  what  has  moved  this  conqueror  to 
"  send  forth  his  armies  "  for  this  work  of  death  and 
destruction.  No  lesson  is  more  plainly  taught  in 
the  Scriptures  than  that  God  is  moved  by  the 
prayers  of  his  people.  Bearing  on  this  very  point 
our  Saviour  spoke  a  parable  to  this  end,  that  men 
ought  always  to  pray,  and  not  to  faint;  and  in  the 


176      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

application  of  the  parable  he  says:  "And  shall  not 
God  avenge  his  own  elect,  which  cry  day  and 
night  unto  him,  though  he  bear  long  with  them?  I 
tell  you  that  he  will  avenge  them  speedily." 

Let  us  listen  to  the  teaching  of  the  fifth  seal: 
"And  when  he  had  opened  the  fifth  seal,  I  saw 
under  the  altar  the  souls  of  them  that  were  slain 
for  the  word  of  God,  and  for  the  testimony  which 
they  held:  and  they  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  say- 
ing, How  long,  O  Lord,  holy  and  true,  dost  thou 
not  judge  and  avenge  our  blood  on  them  that  dwell 
on  the  earth?  And  white  robes  were  given  unto 
everyone  of  them;  and  it  was  said  unto  them,  that 
they  should  rest  yet  for  a  little  season,  until  their 
fellow-servants  also  and  their  brethren,  that  should 
be  killed  as  th^y  were,  should  be  fulfilled." 

These  souls  of  the  martyrs  were  under  or  at  the 
foot  of  the  altar  praying  to  be  avenged.  They 
had  been  slain  for  the  word  of  God  and  for  the 
testimony  which  they  held,  slain  for  their  very 
righteousness.  And  their  foes,  encouraged  by 
their  success  in  putting  out  of  the  way  these  good 
men,  were  still  at  their  bloody  work.  And  these 
martyrs,  who  knew  that  the  promise  had  been  given 
that  "  He  would  avenge  them  speedily,"  were  lift- 
ing their  cry,  "  How  long,  O  Lord,  holy  and  true, 
dost  thou  not  judge  and  avenge  our  blood  on  them 
that  dwell  on  the  earth?"  White  robes  of  victory, 
as  petitioners,  were  given  unto  every  one  of  them, 
and  they  were  assured  that  as  soon  as  a  few  more 
of  their  fellow-servants  should  be  killed,  then  he 
would  rise  in  vengeance  against  their  enemies. 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     177 

There  were  martyrs  of  that  period.  Jesus,  in  en- 
couraging the  Church  at  Pergamos,  calls  one  of 
these  (Antipas)  by  name  as  a  faithful  martyr. 
And  it  is  folly  to  be  looking  along  down  the  ages 
for  seasons  of  persecution  to  find  the  souls  of  those 
under  the  altar.  When  the  seal  is  opened,  they 
are  seen.  Having  been  slain  before  it,  therefore  it 
cannot  apply  to  those  slain  centuries  afterward. 
To  suppose  that  they  are  souls  to  be  slain  centu- 
ries afterward,  "in  the  days  of  the  Waldenses  and 
Albigenses,  is  simply  to  wrest  the  words  from  their 
obvious  sense  and  application,  and  force  upon  them 
a  meaning  which  could  not  have  entered  the  mind 
of  John  or  of  those  whom  he  addressed.  Such 
methods  of  interpretation  cannot  be  too  severely 
censured.  They  practically  destroy  all  confidence 
in  prophecy  by  ignoring  the  legitimate  principles 
and  laws  of  prophetic  interpretation." 

Giving  John  time  to  record  the  scenes  revealed 
under  this  seal,  the  Lamb  proceeds  to  break  an- 
other. 

"And  I  beheld  when  he  had  opened  the  sixth 
seal,  and,  lo,  there  was  a  great  earthquake;  and 
the  sun  became  black  as  sackcloth  of  hair,  and 
the  moon  became  as  blood ;  and  the  stars  of  heav- 
en fell  unto  the  earth,  even  as  a  fig-tree  casteth  her 
untimely  figs,  when  she  is  shaken  of  a  mighty  wind. 
And  the  heaven  departed  as  a  scroll  when  it  is 
rolled  together;  and  every  mountain  and  island 
were  moved  out  of  their  places.  And  the  kings 
of  the  earth,  and  the  great  men,  and  the  rich  men, 
12 


178      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

and  the  chief  captains,  and  the  mighty  men,  and 
every  bond  man,  and  every  free  man,  hid  them- 
selves in  the  dens  and  in  the  rocks  of  the  mount- 
ains; and  said  to  the  mountains  and  rocks,  Fall 
on  us,  and  hide  us  from  the  face  of  him  that  sitteth 
on  the  throne,  and  from  the  wrath  of  the  Lamb: 
for  the  great  day  of  his  wrath  is  come ;  and  \vho 
shall  be  able  to  stand?" 

The  Lamb,  at  the  foot  of  whose  altar  the  souls 
of  the  martyrs  kneeled  and  prayed,  now  moves 
heaven  and  earth  with  mighty  convulsions  as  as- 
surances that  he  has  heard  their  prayers  and  "  will 
avenge  them  speedily."  This  is  all  symbolic  lan- 
guage, and  we  need  not  look  for  any  facts  or  phe- 
nomena in  nature  analogous  to  it.  We  need  not 
look  for  any  special  earthquake,  no  "dark  day" 
in  the  history  of  the  ages,  no  showers  of  meteors, 
or  any  thing  of  the  kind.  The  time  had  come 
when  altar  and  temple  should  be  thrown  down; 
and  not  only  the  Jewish  Church,  but  the  nation 
itself  was  to  fall  under  the  shivering  stroke  of  the 
"rod  of  iron"  in  the  hands  of  the  angry  Lamb, 
whose  precious  blood  had  been  trampled  upon  by 
their  unhallowed  feet.  The  old  city  of  Jerusalem, 
that  had  become  a  Sodom,  was  to  be  removed  to 
give  place  to  the  new  Jerusalem  that  should  come 
down  from  God  out  of  heaven. 

Paul  refers  to  this  in  Hebrews  xii.  22-29:  "  But 
ye  are  come  unto  mount  Sion,  and  unto  the  city  of 
the  living  God,  the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  and  to  an 
innumerable  company  of  angels,  to  the  general  as- 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.      179 

sembly  and  Church  of  the  First-born,  which  are 
-written  in  heaven,  and  to  God  the  Judge  of  all,  and 
to  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect,  and  to 
Jesus  the  Mediator  of  the  new  covenant,  and  to  the 
blood  of  sprinkling,  that  speaketh  better  things 
than  that  of  Abel.  See  that  ye  refuse  not  him  that 
speaketh :  for  if  they  escaped  not  who  refused  him 
that  spake  on  earth,  much  more  shall  not  we  es- 
cape, if  we  turn  away  from  him  that  speaketh  from 
heaven:  whose  voice  then  shook  the  earth:  but 
now  he  hath  promised,  saying,  Yet  once  more  I 
shake  not  the  earth  only,  but  also  heaven.  And 
this  word,  Yet  once  more,  signifieth  the  removing 
of  those  things  that  are  shaken,  as  of  things  that 
are  made,  that  those  things  which  cannot  be  shak- 
en may  remain.  Wherefore  we  receiving  a  king- 
dom which  cannot  be  moved,  let  us  have  grace, 
whereby  we  may  serve  God  acceptably  with  rev- 
erence and  godly  fear:  for  our  God  is  a  consum- 
ing fire."  Here  the  apostle  shows  that  Christ  will 
remove  the  tottering  Jewish  Church  and  forever 
establish  the  Christian  Church.  The  civil  and 
ecclesiastical  rulers,  with  all  their  officers  and 
priests,  shall  be  swept  away  like  the  darkening  of 
the  sun,  turning  the  moon  to  blood,  and  the  hurl- 
ing down  of  the  stars. 

"And  the  heavens  departed  like  a  scroll  when  it 
is  rolled,  together."  Every  vestige  of  the  ceremo- 
nial worship  was  to  be  rolled  away.  Isaiah,  in 
prophesying  of  this,  says:  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord, 
The  heaven  is  my  throne,  and  the  earth  is  my  foot- 


180      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

stool:  where  is  the  house  that  ye  build  unto  me? 
and  where  is  the  place  of  my  rest?  For  all  those 
things  hath  mine  hand  made,  and  all  those  things 
have  been,  saith  the  Lord:  but  to  this  man  will  I 
look,  even  to  him  that  is  poor  and  of  a  contrite 
spirit,  and  trembleth  at  my  word.  He  that  killeth 
an  ox  is  as  if  he  slew  a  man ;  he  that  sacrificeth  a 
lamb,  as  if  he  cut  off  a  dog's  neck;  he  that  offer- 
eth  an  oblation,  as  if  he  offered  swines'  blood;  he 
that  burneth  incense,  as  if  he  blessed  an  idol. 
Yea,  they  have  chosen  their  own  ways,  and  their 
soul  delighteth  in  their  abominations."  This  shows 
the  utter  abhorrence  with  which  God  will  regard 
the  sacrifices  that  these  Jews  shall  offer.  The 
great  antitype  had  come ;  and  now  he  that  should 
still  cling  to  these  types  and  sacrifices,  though 
once  acceptable  to  God,  wrould  by  them  manifest 
his  unbelief  in  Christ  the  Lamb  of  God  that  had 
been  crucified  among  them,  and  hence  God  would 
despise  them.  And  as  they  persisted  in  offering 
them,  and  in  persecuting  and  murdering  those  who 
did  believe  in  Jesus,  they  were  to  be  destroyed, 
and  with  them  every  form  of  their  religion. 

Farther  on  in  this  same  chapter  he  says,  after 
saying  some  comforting  things  concerning  those 
that  "  trembleth  at  his  word:"  "The  hand  of  the 
Lord  shall  be  known  toward  his  servants,  and  his 
indignation  toward  his  enemies.  For,  behold,  the 
Lord  will  come  with  fire,  and  with  his  chariots  like 
a  whirlwind,  to  render  his  anger  with  fury,  and  his 
rebuke  with  flames  of  fire.  For  by  fire  and  by  his 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.      181 

sword  will  the  Lord  plead  with  all  flesh:  and  the 
slain  of  the  Lord  shall  be  many"  The  history  of 
this  perioji  shows  that  this  was  literally  fulfilled 
when  all  the  land  was  filled  with  their  dead  bodies, 
and  the  stench  of  their  unburied  carcasses  bred 
pestilence  and  plague  that  added  to  the  awful  list. 

"And  every  mountain  and  island  were  moved 
out  of  their  places."  So  thorough  should  be  the 
work  of  the  Lamb  that  Jewish  ceremonies  should 
never  be  restored.  Since  that  awful  period,  when 
city  and  temple  went  down  under  the  power  of  the 
Lamb,  no  altar  has  ever  been  erected,  and  no  sac- 
rifice has  ever  been  offered.  The  only  notes  heard 
from  Jewish  lips  in  Jerusalem  are  the  sad  wailings 
•outside  the  walls. 

The  last  words  of  the  prophecy  of, Isaiah,  in  the 
chapter  from  which  we  have  quoted,  are:  "And 
it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  from  one  new  moon  to 
another,  and  from  one  Sabbath  to  another,  shall  all 
flesh  come  to  worship  before  me,  saith  the  Lord. 
And  they  shall  go  forth,  and  look  upon  the  carcasses 
of  the  men  that  have  transgressed  against  me :  for 
their  worm  shall  not  die,  neither  shall  their  fire  be 
quenched ;  and  they  shall  be  an  abhorring  unto  all 
flesh."  The  awful  judgments  that  befell  this  peo- 
ple are  known  by  all  flesh,  and  the  just  retribution 
heaped  upon  them  in  their  utter  overthrow  is  looked 
upon  by  all.  There  is  no  mitigation  of  their  woes, 
but  they  are  scattered  and  torn  and  peeled.  They 
have  been  driven  to  the  ends  of  the  earth ;  frag- 
ments of  them  are  found  among  all  nations,  and 


182      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

wherever  they  have  gone  they  are  looked  upon  as 
a  people  cursed  of  God.  "  Their  worm  dieth  not, 
and  their  fire  is  not  quenched."  No  wgnder  that 
"the  kings  of  the  earth,  and  the  great  men,  and 
the  rich  men,  and  the  chief  captains,  and  the 
mighty  men,  and  every  bond  man,  and  every  free 
man,  hid  themselves  in  the  dens  and  in  the  rocks 
of  the  mountains;  and  said  to  the  mountains  and 
rocks,  Fall  on  us,  and  hide  us  from  the  face  of  him 
that  sitteth  on  the  throne,  and  from  the  wrath  of 
the  Lamb :  for  the  great  day  of  his  wrath  is  come ; 
and  who  shall  be  able  to  stand?  " 

Kings,  mighty  men,  captains,  rich  and  poor, 
bond  and  free,  went  down  alike  under  the  glitter- 
ing sword  of  this  Lamb  of  God,  when  he  arose  to 
judgment;  when  Roman  legions  encompassed  them 
without,  and  internal  discords,  famine,  and  pesti- 
lence rent  and  tore  and  withered  them  within. 
When  they  despaired  of  life  within  the  city,  and 
went  to  the  Romans,  the.y  were  crucified  until,  as 
Josephus  tells  us,  "So  the  soldiers,  out  of  the 
wrath  and  hatred  they  bore  to  the  Jews,  nailed 
those  they  caught — one  after  one  wav?  and  another 
after  another — to  the  crosses,  by  way  of  jest, 
when  their  multitude  was  so  great  that  room  was 
wanting  for  the  crosses,  and"  crosses  wanting  for 
bodies."  What  were  the  horrors  within  that  could 
induce  people  to  go  out  among  such  merciless 
fiends  in  human  shape?  Let  us  see.  Josephus 
says:  "The  citizens  themselves  were  under  terri- 
ble consternation.  The  zealots  agreed  in  nothing 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.      183 

but  this:  to  kill  those  that  were  innocent.  The 
noise,  also,  of  those  that  were  fighting  was  inces- 
sant, both  by  day  and  by  night;  but  the  lamentation 
of  those  that  mourned  exceeded  the  other.  Nor 
was  there  any  occasion  to  leave  off  their  lamenta- 
tion, because  their  calamities  came  perpetually  one 
upon  another."  And  again:  "The  upper  rooms 
were  full  of  women  and  children  that  were  dying 
of  famine,  and  the  lanes  of  the  city  were  full  of  the 
dead  bodies  of  the  aged.  The  children,  also,  and 
the  young  men  wandered  about  the  market-places 
like  shadows,  all  swelled  with  the  famine,  and  fell 
down  dead  wheresoever  their  misery  seized  them. 
As  for  burying  them,  those  that  were  sick  were 
not  able,  and  those  that  were  well  were  deterred 
from  doing  it  by  the  great  multitude  of  these  dead 
bodies,  and  by  the  uncertainty  as  to  how  soon  they 
should  die  themselves  ;  for  many  died  as  they  were 
burying  others,  and  many  went  to  their  coffins  be- 
fore that  fatal  hour  was  come."  No  wonder  they 
called  to  the  mountains  and  rocks  to  fall  upon 
them,  and  hide  them  from  the  wrath  of  the  Lamb. 
The  next  scene  is  one  of  deep  interest.  The 
wrath  of  the  Lamb  is  just  ready  to  break  upon  the 
guilty;  but  all  over  the  land  there  are  the  righteous. 
They  are  found  even  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  that 
second  Sodom,  upon  which  he  is  just  ready  to  pour 
his  vengeful  fires.  Will  the  righteous  perish  with 
the  wicked?  If  not,  how  are  they  to  be  delivered? 
John  tells  us:  "And  after  these  things  I  saw  four 
angels  standing  in  the  four  corners  of  the  earth, 


184      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

holding  the  four  winds  of  the  earth,  that  the  wind 
should  not  blow  on  the  earth,  nor  on  the  sea,  nor 
on  any  tree.  And  I  saw  another  angel  ascending 
from  the  east,  having  the  seal  of  the  living  God: 
and  he  cried  with  a  loud  voice  to  the  four  angels, 
to  whom  it  was  given  to  hurt  the  earth  and  the  sea, 
saying,  Hurt  not  the  earth,  neither  the  sea,  nor  the 
trees,  till  we  have  sealed  the  servants  of  our  God 
in  their  foreheads.  And  I  heard  the  number  of 
them  which  were  sealed:  and  there  were  sealed  a 
hundred  and  forty  and  four  thousand  of  all  the 
tribes  of  the  children  of  Israel.  Of  the  tribe  of 
Juda  were  sealed  twelve  thousand.  Of  the  tribe 
of  Reuben  were  sealed  twelve  thousand.  Of  the 
tribe  of  Gad  were  sealed  twelve  thousand.  Of 
the  tribe  of  Aserwere  sealed  twelve  thousand.  Of 
the  tribe  of  Nephthalim  were  sealed  twelve  thou- 
sand. Of  the  tribe  of  Manassas  were  sealed  twelve 
thousand.  Of  the  tribe  of  Simeon  were  sealed 
twelve  thousand.  Of  the  tribe  of  Levi  were  sealed 
twelve  thousand.  Of  the  tribe  of  Issachar  were 
sealed  twelve  thousand.  Of  the  tribe  of  Zabulon 
were  sealed  twelve  thousand.  Of  the  tribe  of  Jo- 
seph were  sealed  twelve  thousand."  Of  the  tribe  of 
Benjamin  were  sealed  twelve  thousand.  After  this 
I  beheld,  and,  lo,  a  great  multitude,  which  no  man 
could  number,  of  all  nations,  and  kindreds,  and 
people,  and  tongues,  stood  before  the  throne,  and 
before  the  Lamb,  clothed  with  white  robes,  and 
palms  in  their  hands;  and  cried  with  a  loucj  voice, 
saying,  Salvation  to  our  God  which  sitteth  upon 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     185 

the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb.  And  all  the  an- 
gels stood  round  about  the  throne,  and  about  the 
elders,  and  the  four  beasts,  and  fell  before  the 
throne  on  their  faces,  and  worshiped  God,  saying, 
Amen:  Blessing,  and  glory,  and  wisdom,  and 
thanksgiving,  and  honor,  and  power,  and  might,  be 
unto  our  God  forever  and  ever.  Amen.  And  one  of 
the  elders  answered,  saying  unto  me, What  are  these 
which  are  arrayed  in  white  robes  ?  and  whence  came 
they?  And  I  said  unto  him,  Sir,  thou  knowest. 
And  he  said  to  me,  These  are  they  which  came 
out  of  great  tribulation,  and  have  washed  their 
robes,  and  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb.  Therefore  are  they  before  the  throne  of 
God,  and  serve  him  day  and  night  in  his  tem- 
ple :  and  he  that  sitteth  on  the  throne  shall  dwell 
among  them.  They  shall  hunger  no  more,  neither 
thirst  any  more;  neither  shall  the  sun  light  on 
them,  nor  any  heat.  For  the  Lamb  which  is  in 
the  midst  of  the  throne  shall  feed  them,  and  shall 
lead  them  unto  living  fountains  of  water:  and  God 
shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes." 

This  scene  follows  immediately  (meta  tauta). 
God  intends  to  protect  his  people.  Hence  the  four 
angels,  standing  on  the  four  corners  of  the  earth, 
hold  back  the  winds  until  this  protection  is  se- 
cured. It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  winds  have 
more  to  do  with  the  destructive  elements  than  any 
thing  else.  It  is  the  winds  that  form  the  tempests 
in  all  their  varied  manifestations.  They  sweep  the 
earth  in  their  destructive  force;  they  lash  the 


186      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

waves  of  the  sea  into  billows  of  power,  and  hurl 
them  along  with  irresistible  force.  It  is  the  winds 
that  bear  the  clouds  along  as  war  chariots  of  the 
King  of  heaven.  Their  friction  generates  the 
lightning's  bolt,  that  leaps  with  the  thunder's  voice 
on  its  mission  of  death.  It  is  the  winds  that  as  a 
mighty  catapult  hurl  death-dealing  hail-stones  to 
the  earth ;  hence  they  are  symbolic  of  the  mighty 
agencies  that  the  Lamb  shall  employ  in  displaying 
his  wrath  on  the  guilty. 

A  distinguishing  mark  must  be  set  upon  God's 
servants.  An  angel  is  seen  ascending  from  the 
east,  having  the  seal  of  the  living  God.  Jesus, 
when  he  sent  his  disciples  into  all  the  world  to 
preach  his  gospel  to  every  creature,  said,  "Who- 
soever believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved." 
This  seal,  then,  is  baptism,  wherewith  is  written 
the  name  of  the  "  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of 
the  Holy  Ghost"  on  the  forehead  of  him  that  be- 
lieveth. This,  then,  is  to  be  the  sign  to  the  de- 
stroying angel  to  spare,  just  as  the  blood  of  the 
paschal  lamb,  sprinkled  on  the  door-posts  and  on 
the  lintels,  was  to  be  a  sign  to  the  destroying  angel 
in  Egypt  to  pass  over  that  house.  Men  might  not 
be  able  to  read  this  wonderful  name  on  the  fore- 
head of  his  servants,  but  those  who  were  commis- 
sioned to  destroy  could.  Jesus  refers  to  this  same 
scene  in  that  wonderful  prophecy  that  foretold  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem.  He  said:  "And  he  shall 
send  his  angels  with  a  great  sound  of  a  trumpet, 
and  they  shall  gather  together  his  elect  from  the 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     187 

four  winds,  from  one  end  of  heaven  to  the 
other." 

As  the  disciples  who  were  to  go  into  all  the  world 
to  preach  were  to  begin  at  Jerusalem,  so  this  angel 
begins  his  sealing  among  the  Israelites.  Round 
numbers  only  are  given,  and  for  some  reason 
twelve  is  the  number.  There  were  twelve  tribes, 
as  there  were  twelve  apostles,  and  there  were 
twice  twelve  elders  prominent  in  all  these  symbols. 
So  twelve  thousand  are  announced  for  each  of  the 
twelve  tribes.  Dan  is  omitted  on  account  of  his 
idolatry.  His  tribe  went  almost  wholly  away  from 
God.  Joseph  has  two,  one  in  his  own  name  and 
one  in  Manassas's  name.  The  patriarch,  Jacob, 
said  to  Joseph  on  his  death-bed:  "Moreover  I 
have  given  to  thee  one  portion  above  thy  brethren, 
which  I  took  out  of  the  hand  of  the  Amorite  with 
my  sword  and  with  my  bow." 

There  were  very  many  of  the  Jews  that  were 
obedient  to  the  faith.  James  said  to  Paul  when 
he  went  up  to  Jerusalem,  "  Thou  seest,  brother, 
how  many  thousands  [myriads,  10,000,  as  in  the 
margin]  of  Jews  there  are  which  believe;"  and 
there  were  converts  among  this  people  in  all  parts 
of  the  land.  Here  a  hundred  and  forty  and  four 
thousand  are  mentioned  as  sealed,  no  doubt  a  defi- 
nite for  an  indefinite  number,  as  is  frequently  the 
case  in  Scripture.  In  addition  to  these  there  were 
a  great  multitude,  which  no  man  could  number,  of 
Gentile  converts.  These  were  shouting:  "  Salva- 
tion to  our  God  which  sitteth  upon  the  throne, 


1 88      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

and  unto  the  Lamb."  When  all  the  angels  that 
stood  round  about  the  throne,  and  the  elders,  and 
the  four  living  creatures  heard  it,  they  fell  before 
the  throne  in  their  joy,  and  worshiped,  and  said: 
"  Blessing,  and  glory,  and  wisdom,  and  thanksgiv- 
ing, and  honor,  and  power,  and  might,  be  unto  our 
God  forever  and  ever.  Amen."  There  was  gen- 
eral joy  in  earth  and  heaven. 

One  of  the  elders  calls  John's  attention  to  this 
countless  multitude,  and  asks  him  who  they  are 
and  whence  they  came.  John  said:  "  Sir,  thou 
knowest."  Then  the  elder  told  him  they  were 
those  that  had  stood  the  fires  of  persecution,  and 
had  been  washed  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  and 
this  entitled  them  to  the  special  care  and  protec- 
tion of  God.  This,  too,  is  symbolic  language. 
These  men  were  not  in  heaven;  they  were  still 
alive  on  earth,  but  under  the  special  protection  of 
God  and  the  Lamb.  These,  both  Jews  and  Gen- 
tiles, who  had  the  seal  of  God  in  their  foreheads 
were  to  be  as  much  protected  on  earth  as  if  they 
were  in  heaven.  Jesus  said:  "But  there  shall  not 
a  hair  of  your  head  perish."  He  gave  his  dis- 
ciples the  sign  by  which  they  should  know  of  the 
destruction  and  make  their  escape;  and  it  is  a 
noted  fact  that  all  the  Christians  of  Jerusalem  did 
escape  to  Pella,  and  not  a  single  Christian  perished 
in  that  dreadful  siege.  And  we  have  no  reason  to 
think  that  he  would  be  less  careful  of  those  in 
other  parts  of  the  land,  or  those  of  other  nations 
who  were  recognized  as  his  servants 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.      189 

With  reference  to  the  salvation  of  the  Christians 
at  the  siege  of  Jerusalem  let  us  see  the  warning 
and  the  escape.  Jesus  said:  "When  ye  there- 
fore shall  see  the  abomination  of  desolation, 
spoken  of  by  Daniel  the  prophet,  stand  in  the  holy 
place,  (whoso  readeth,  let  him  understand,)  then 
let  them  which  be  in  Judea  flee  into  the  mount- 
ains." Josephus  tells  us:  "When  Cestius  Gallus 
came  with  his  army  against  Jerusalem,  many  fled 
from  the  city  as  if  it  would  be  taken  presently,  and 
after  his  retreat  many  of  the  noble  Jews  departed 
out  of  the  city,  as  out  of  a  sinking  ship :  and  a  few 
years  afterward,  when  Vespasian  was  drawing  his 
forces  toward  Jerusalem,  a  great  multitude  fled 
from  Jericho  into  the  mountainous  country  for 
their  security/'  That  some  of  these  were  Chris- 
tians appears  from  Eusebius,  who  says:  "The 
whole  body  of  the  Church  at  Jerusalem,  having 
been  commanded  by  a  divine  revelation,  removed 
from  the  city,  and  dwelt  at  a  certain  town  beyond 
the  Jordan  called  Pella.  Here  those  who  believed 
in  Christ,  having  removed  from  Jerusalem,  as  if 
holy  men  had  entirely  abandoned  the  royal  city 
itself,  and  the  whole  land  of  Judea,  the  divine 
justice,  for  their  crimes  against  Christ  and  his 
apostles,  finally  overtook  the  Jews,"  etc.  Thus 
those  of  Israel  that  were  sealed  escaped. 

The  Gentiles  were  equally  protected.  Wher- 
ever they  were,  God  was  among  them.  The  Lamb 
which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne  (the  good  Shep- 
herd) fed  and  watered  them;  and  God  wiped 


190      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

away  all  tears  from  their  eyes — that  is,  the  relig- 
ion of  Jesus  gave  them  comfort  in  all  the  afflic- 
tions of  life.  "  Earth  had  no  sorrow  that  God 
could  not  heal." 

We  must  ever  remember  that  symbolic  language 
can  never  be  interpreted  literally.  The  prophets 
of  the  Old  Testament  used  just  this  class  of  sym- 
bols in  their  writings.  Isaiah,  in  prophesying 
against  Babylon,  uses  this  language:  "Behold, 
the  day  of  the  Lord  cometh,  cruel  both  with  wrath 
and  fierce  anger,  to  lay  the  land  desolate:  and  he 
shall  destroy  the  sinners  thereof  out  of  it.  For  the 
stars  of  heaven  and  the  constellations  thereof  shall 
not  give  their  light:  the  sun  shall  be  darkened  in 
his  going  forth,  and  the  moon  shall  not  cause  her 
light  to  shine."  And  again:  " Their  slain  also 
shall  be  cast  out,  and  their  stink  shall  come  up  out 
of  their  carcasses,  and  the  mountains  shall  be  melt- 
ed with  their  blood.  And  all  the  hosts  of  heaven 
shall  be  dissolved,  and  the  heavens  shall  be  rolled 
together  as  a  scroll:  and  all  their  host  shall  fall 
down,  as  the  leaf  falleth  off  from  the  vine,  and  as 
a  falling  fig  from  the  fig-tree." 

No  one  thinks  of  making  this  literal  in  its  signi- 
fication. We  might  multiply  these  passages  almost 
indefinitely.  We  will  take  but  one  more,  and  take 
that  because  of  its  known  use.  It  is  found  in  Joel, 
and  is  quoted  by  Peter  on  the  day  of  Pentecost: 
"And  on  my  servants  and  on  my  handmaidens  I 
will  pour  out  in  those  days  of  my  Spirit ;  and  they 
shall  prophesy:  And  I  will  show  wonders  in 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     191 

the  heaven  above,  and  signs  in  the  earth  beneath; 
blood,  and  fire,  and  vapor  of  smoke:  the  sun 
shall  be  turned  into  darkness,  and  the  moon  into 
blood,  before  that  great  and  notable  day  of  the 
Lord  come." 

Every  one  knows  that  this  was  not  literally  ful- 
filled. The  sun  was  not  really  darkened,  nor  did 
the  moon  turn  to  blood  before  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost. But  a  great  change  was  to  be  made  in  the 
Church  of  God  and  in  its  operations.  Jewish 
sacrifices  were  to  cease  to  be  offered,  and  the  tem- 
ple services  to  close.  Christ,  the  great  High  Priest, 
was  to  enter  into  heaven,  the  true  tabernacle,  and 
there,  in  the  presence  of  God,  to  offer  the  blood 
that  he,  as  the  Lamb  of  God,  had  shed  on  the  al- 
tar of  the  cross;  and  fresh  heralds  were  to  be  sent 
out  into  all  the  world  to  preach  the  gospel  to  every 
creature,  and  it  must  be  made  manifest  that  this 
change  was  wrought  of  God.  The  first,  or  Mosaic, 
dispensation,  was  established  amid  the  blackness 
and  darkness  and  tempest  that  rested  upon  Mount 
Sinai.  Every  supernatural  evidence  that  was  nec- 
essary was  given,  that  men  might  know  that  God 
did  it.  Now  when  a  radical  change  is  to  take 
place,  there  are  signs  not  only  on  earth,  but  in 
heaven.  All  understood  the  figurative  nature  of 
this  language,  and  the  pouring  out  of  God's  Spirit 
and  the  gift  of  tongues  that  was  bestowed  satisfied 
all  who  believed  in  Jesus  that  the  prophecy  was 
fulfilled.  Peter  did  not  go  into  any  elaborate  ex- 
planation of  the  symbol,  for  he  knew  that  his  hear- 


192      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

ers  were  familiar  with  just  such  expressions  in  their 
prophets ;  in  fact,  that  their  writings  abounded  in 
them. 

It  was  the  constant  custom  of  Jesus  to  use  sym- 
bolic language.  Who  would  take  as  literal  such 
an  expression  as  this:  "Except  ye  eat  my  flesh 
and  drink  my  blood,  ye  have  no  life 'in  you?" 
and  again,  "  Destroy  this  temple,  and  in  three  days 
I  will  raise  it  up?  "  One  great  error  in  many  ex- 
pounders of  these  prophecies  is  that  they  are  hunt- 
ing for  a  literal  fulfillment  of  things  that  are  only 
symbolical. 

"And  when  he  had  opened  the  seventh  seal, 
there  was  silence  in  heaven  about  the  space  of  half' 
an  hour.  And  I  saw  the  seven  angels  which  stood 
before  God ;  and  to  them  were  given  seven  trump- 
ets. And  another  angel  came  and  stood  at  the  al- 
tar, having  a  golden  censer;  and  there  was  given 
unto  him  much  incense,  that  he  should  offer  it  with 
the  prayers  of  all  saints  upon  the  golden  altar  which 
was  before  the  throne.  And  the  smoke  of  the  in- 
cense, which  came  with  the  prayers  of  the  saints, 
ascended  up  before  God  out  of  the  angel's  hand." 

Upon  the  opening  of  this  seal,  which  was  to  re- 
veal so  many  and  such  awful  woes,  there  was  si- 
lence in  heaven  about  the  space  of  half  an  hour. 
This  betokens  the  reluctance  of  God  in  letting  fall 
the  long-suspended  blow.  God  has  sworn,  "As  I 
live,  I  have  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  the  wicked ;" 
and  while  it  was  but  just  that  this  blow  should  fall, 
and  God  avenge  his  people,  yet  God  had  no  pleas- 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     193 

ure  in  it.     The  calamities  revealed  under  this  seal 
are  presented  more  in  detail  and  are  more  elaborate 
than    any  of   the   preceding.     The   seven    angels 
which  stand  before  God  are  given  each  a  trumpet, 
symbols  of  war.    The  Jews  were  familiar  with  this  : 
"If  ye  go  to  war  in  your  land  against  the  enemy 
that  oppresseth  you,  then  ye  shall  blow  an  alarm 
with  the  trumpets."    These  trumpets  were  to  sound 
the  alarm  of  war ;  but  before  they  sound  one  other 
fact  must  be  made  manifest,  and  that  is  that  God 
associates  his  people  with  him.     He  requires  them 
to  ask  what  they  want.    As  Jesus  said,  "  Men  ought 
always  to  pray,  and  not  to  faint."    The  adversaries 
of  the  Church  were  oppressing  them,  and  hinder- 
ing the  work  of  God.    We  have  seen  that  the  souls 
of  the  martyrs  under  the  altar  were  pleading,  and 
now  we  have    the    saints    on    earth    adding   their 
prayers.     An  "angel  stood  at  the  altar,  having  a 
golden    censer;    and  there    was    given   unto    him 
much  incense,  that   he    should  offer  it  with    the 
prayers  of  all  saints  upon  the  golden  altar  which 
was   before  the  throne."     After  this   "  the  angel 
took  the  censer,  and  filled  it  with  fire  of  the  altar, 
and  cast  it  into  the  earth:   and  there  were  voices, 
and    thunderings,   and    lightnings,    and  an  earth- 
quake," a  token  that  God  was  moving  speedily  in 
answer  to  their  prayers.    This  was  but  the  prelude, 
but  the  sound  of  the  moving  armies  of  Jehovah 
preparing  for  the  battle.     The    marshaling  hosts 
were  forming  in  line,  and  the  very  earth  trembles 
beneath  their  tread.     It  is  the  brink  of  the  storm 
13 


194      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

that  is  soon  to  burst  in  all  its  fury.  The  gleam  of 
the  lightnings,  and  the  distant  roll  of  the  thunders 
tell  that  the  elements  of  destruction  are  moving  on 

O 

the  devoted  land. 

"The  first  angel  sounded"  his  trumpet  blast, 
and  at  once  "  there  followed  hail  and  fire  mingled 

o 

with  blood,  and  they  were  cast  upon  the  earth: 
and  the  third  part  of  trees  \vere  burnt  up,  and 
all  green  grass' was  burnt  up."  This  is  one  of  the 
first  effects  of  war.  The  trees  round  about  Jeru- 
salem were  destroyed  for  many  miles,  to  build 
banks  (as  they  wrere  called)  against  the  wall.  Jo- 
sephus  tells  us:  "For  all  the  trees  that  were  about 
the  city  had  been  already  cut  down,  for  the  erec- 
tion of  the  former  banks.  Yet  did  the  soldiers 
bring  with  them  other  materials  from  the  distance 
of  ninety  furlongs"  (a  little  more  than  eleven 
miles). 

The  Romans  had  an  immense  number  of  horses 
besides  the  flocks  and  herds  necessary  to  feed  so 
large  an  army.  These  would  destroy  the  grass. 
This  was  a  symbol  of  this  first  effect  of  war.  But 
even  this  first  chapter  in  the  great  drama  was  not 
without  bloodshed  and  death,  as  indicated  by  the 
hail  and  fire  mingled  with  blood.  It  also  indicates 
that  it  comes  from  God.  The  Psalmist  says :  * '  De- 
liver my  soul  from  the  wicked,  which  is  thy  sword" 
While  the  Romans  were  going  according  to  the 
dictates  of  their  own  will,  God  was  using  them  for 
the  destruction  of  the  foes  of  his  people,  and  in  an- 
swer to  their  prayers  and  the  prayers  of  the  martyrs. 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     195 

When  the  second  angel  sounded,  "a  great 
mountain  burning  with  fire  was  cast  into  the  sea : 
and  the  third  part  of  the  sea  became  blood:  and 
the  third  part  of  the  creatures  which  were  in  the 
sea,  and  had  life,  died;  and  the  third  part  of  the 
ships  were  destroyed."  This  symbolized  the  effects 
of  this  war  upon  the  sea.  "At  Joppa  eighty-four 
hundred  had  been  slain  by  Cestius  and  the  city 
burned;  but  a  number  of  fugitives  had  ensconced 
themselves  in  the  ruins,  and  were  living  by  piracy 
and  brigandage.  These  Jews  fled  to  their  ships 
before  the  advance  of  the  Roman  soldiers.  Next 
morning  a  storm  burst  on  them,  and  after  a  fright- 
ful scene  of  despair  forty-two  hundred  were 
drowned,  and  their  corpses  were  washed  upon  the 
shore.  Tarichenge  was  a  strongly  fortified  city  on 
the  shores  of  Lake  Tiberias.  It  was  taken  by  Ti- 
tus, and  six  thousand  Jews  dyed  with  their  blood 
the  waters  of  that  crystal  sea."  The  burning 
mountain  cast  into  the  sea  showed  that  there  was 
no  more  hope  of  escape  when  God  arose  to  judg- 
ment than  there  would  be  for  ships  to  escape  were 
a  burning  mountain  literally  hurled  into  the  sea 
amid  those  ships. 

"And  the  third  angel  sounded,  and  there  fell  a 
great  star  from  heaven,  burning  as  it  were  a  lamp, 
and  it  fell  upon  a  third  part  of  the  rivers,  and  upon 
the  fountains  of  waters ;  and  the  name  of  the  star 
is  called  Wormwood :  and  the  third  part  of  the  wa- 
ters became  wormwood;  and  many  men  died  of 
the  waters,  because  they  were  made  bitter."  Bit- 


196      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

ter  was  their  experience  in  coming  to  their  death. 
This  was  to  show  that  no  part  of  the  land  was  to 
escape.  The  hail  and  fire  fell  upon  the  earth,  the 
burning  mountain  upon  the  sea,  and  the  star  on  the 
rivers  and  fountains  of  water. 

Now  the  "fourth  angel  sounded,  and  the  third 
part  of  the  sun  was  smitten,  and  the  third  part  of 
the  moon,  and  the  third  part  of  the  stars;  so  as  the 
third  part  of  them  was  darkened,  and  the  day 
shone  not  for  a  third  part  of  it,  and  the  night  like- 
wise," All  nature  was  arrayed  against  these  ene- 
mies of  God  and  his  people.  In  all  these  symbols 
a  third  part  is  affected,  a  definite  for  an  indefinite 
number;  and  yet  about  one-third  of  the  nation  mis- 
erably perished  in  this  war,  so  that  the  proportion 
was  not  far  wrong. 

This  also  corresponds  precisely  with  Ezekiel's 
prediction  of  this  same  event,  as  recorded  in  the 
fifth  chapter  of  his  prophecy.  The  command 
conies  to  him  to  take  a  sharp  knife,  to  take  a  bar- 
ber's razor,  and  cause  it  to  pass  upon  his  head  and 
upon  his  beard.  Then  he  was  to  take  this  hair 
and  divide  it  into  three  parts.  A  third  part  he  was 
to  burn  in  the  fire  in  the  midst  of  the  city,  when 
the  days  of  the  siege  were  fulfilled;  a  third  part  he 
was  to  smite  about  with  a  knife ;  and  a  third  part 
to  scatter  in  the  wind.  He  was  also  to  bind  a  few 
in  number  in  his  skirts.  The  revealing  spirit  then 
tells  him:  "A  third  part  of  thee  shall  die  with  the 
pestilence,  and  with  famine  shall  they  be  consumed 
in  the  midst  of  thee :  and  a  third  part  shall  fall  by  the 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.      197 

sword  round  about  thee ;  and  I  will  scatter  a  third 
part  into  all  the  winds,  and  I  will  draw  out  a  sword 
after  them."  The  same  spirit  that  revealed  this  to 
Ezekiel  revealed  it  to  John,  only  under  different 
symbols. 

The  whole  land  was  deluged  in  blood.  No 
place  was  safe,  either  on  sea  or  land,  and  no  na- 
tion ever  suffered  more  bitterly.  Jesus,  speaking 
of  this  very  time,  says:  "  For  then  shall  be  great 
tribulation,  such  as  was  not  since  the  beginning  of 
the  world  to  this  time,  no,  nor  ever  shall  be." 
When  every  feature  of  these  symbols  fits  with  ac- 
curacy the  circumstances  of  this  war — especially 
when  Jesus  said,  "  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  this  gen- 
eration shall  not  pass,  till  all  these  things  be  ful- 
filled " — why  should  we  labor  to  make  them  cover 
facts  occurring  hundreds  of  years  subsequent  and 
in  countries  far  distant? 

Here  was  a  pause  in  the  sounding  of  the  trump- 
ets for  a  startling  announcement.  John  says: 
"And  I  beheld,  and  heard  an  angel  flying  through 
the  midst  of  heaven,  saying  with  a  loud  voice, 
Woe,  woe,  woe,  to  the  inhabiters  of  the  earth  by 
reason  of  the  other  voices  of  the  trumpet  of  the 
three  angels,  which  are  yet  to  sound!'1  Under 
these  three  woe-trumpets,  as  they  have  been 
called,  they  were  to  reach  the  culmination  of  this 
dreadful  war.  The  scenes  enacted — especially  in 
Jerusalem — as  the  mighty  conqueror  struck  the 
final  blow  were  so  terrific  that  heaven  shuddered, 
and  an  angel  was  sent  to  prepare  men  for  it  by  his 


198      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

dreadful  cry  of  "  Woe,  woe,  woe."  But  the  Al- 
mighty arm  must  let  the  lifted  thunder  drop,  though 
all  earth  should  shudder  at  the  effect  of  its  fall. 

"And  the  fifth  angel  sounded,  and  I  saw  a  star 
fall  from  heaven  unto  the  earth:  and  to  him  was 
given  the  key  of  the  bottomless  pit.  .  .  .  And 
there  arose  a  smoke  out  of  the  pit,  as  the  smoke 
of  a  great  furnace ;  and  the  sun  and  the  air  were 
darkened  by  reason  of  the  smoke  of  the  pit.  And 
there  came  out  of  the  smoke  locusts  upon  the 
earth:  and  unto  them  was  given  power,  as  the 
scorpions  of  the  earth  have  power.  And  it  was 
commanded  them  that  they  should  not  hurt  the 
grass  of  the  earth,  neither  any  green  thing,  neither 
any  tree;  but  only  those  men  which  have  not  the 
seal  of  God  in  their  foreheads.  And  to  them  it 
was  given  that  they  should  not  kill  them,  but  that 
they  should  be  tormented  five  months:  and  their 
torment  was  as  the  torment  of  a  scorpion,  when  he 
striketh  a  man.  And  in  those  days  shall  men  seek 
death,  and  shall  not  find  it;  and  shall  desire  to  die, 
and  death  shall  flee  from  them.  And  the  shapes 
of  the  locusts  were  like  unto  horses  prepared  unto 
battle ;  and  on  their  heads  were  as  it  were  crowns 
like  gold,  and  their  faces  were  as  the  faces  of  men. 
And  they  had  hair  as  the  hair  of  women,  and  their 
teeth  were  as  the  teeth  of  lions.  And  they  had 
breastplates,  as  it  were  breastplates  of  iron:  and 
the  sound  of  their  wings  was  as  the  sound  of  char- 
iots of  many  horses  running  to  battle.  And  they 
had  tails  like  unto  scorpions,  and  there  were  stings 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     199 

in  their  tails :  and  their  power  was  to  hurt  men  five 
months.  And  they  had  a  king  over  them,  which  is 
the  angel  of  the  bottomless  pit,  whose  name  in  the 
Hebrew  tongue  is  Abaddon,  but  in  the  Greek 
tongue  hath  his  name  Apollyon.  One  woe  is  past; 
and,  behold,  there  come  two  woes  more  hereafter." 
This  star  was  an  intelligent  being,  an  angel.  He 
comes  to  open  the  bottomless  pit  and  turn  loose 
upon  the  Jews  this  awful  scourge.  The  fact  that 
the  locusts  were  commanded  to  hurt  "  only  those 
men  which  have  not  the  seal  of  God  in  their  fore- 
heads ' '  connects  this  woe  with  the  seals,  and  makes 
it  all  one.  It  forever  crushes  those  wild,  visionary 
interpretations  that  string  these  seals  and  trumpets 
along  down  the  ages,  locating  some  in  one  and 
some  in  another  country.  The  unity  of  this  book 
is  wonderful,  and  yet  no  book  ever  written  has  suf- 
fered more  dismemberment  than  it.  These  locusts 
are  symbolical  of  the  several  parties  in  the  heart  of 
Jerusalem,  that  agreed  in  nothing  else  but  in  tor- 
menting each  other.  They  acted  as  demons  from 
the  pit.  Language  fails  to  picture  their  cruelty  and 
villainy.  Hear  what  Josephus  says  of  them:  "And 
here  I  cannot  but  speak  my  mind,  and  what  the 
concern  I  am  under  dictates  to  me.  I  suppose 
that  had  the  Romans  made  any  longer  delay  in 
coming  against  these  villains,  that  the  city  would 
either  have  been  swallowed  up  by  the  ground  open- 
ing under  them,  or  been  overflowed  by  water,  or 
else  been  destroyed  by  such  thunder  as  the  coun- 
try of  Sodom  perished  by.  For  it  had  brought 


2OO     The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

forth  a  generation  of  men  much  more  atheistical 
than  were  those  that  suffered  such  punishment. 
For  by  their  madness  it  was  that  all  the  people 
came  to  be  destroyed." 

"And  in  those  days  shall  men  seek  death,  and 
shall  not  find  it;  and  shall  desire  to  die,  and  death 
shall  flee  from  them."  Moses  said  of  this  very  pe- 
riod: "And  thy  life  shall  hang  in  doubt  before  thee; 
and  thou  shalt  fear  day  and  night,  and  shalt  have 
none  assurance  of  thy  life:  in  the. morning  thou 
shalt  say,  Would  God  it  were  even !  and  at  even 
thou  shalt  say,  Would  God  it  were  morning!  " 
Jesus  says:  "There  shall  be  great  distress  in  the 
land,  and  wrath  upon  this  people.  .  .  .  Upon 
the  earth  distress  of  nations,  with  perplexity;  the 
sea  and  the  waves  roaring;  men's  hearts  failing 
them  for  fear,  and  for  looking  after  those  things 
which  are  coming  on  the  earth :  for  the  powers  of 
heaven  shall  be  shaken." 

The  descriptions  of  the  locusts  are  remarkable : 
"  Their  faces  were  as  the  faces  of  men.  And  they 
had  hair  as  the  hair  of  women,  and  their  teeth  were 
as  the  teeth  of  lions."  One  paragraph  from  Jo- 
sephus  fixes  this  symbol  inevitably  upon  John  and 
his  followers  during  the  siege:  "For  these  Galile- 
ans had  advanced  this  John,  and  made  him  very 
potent;  who  made  them  a  suitable  requital  from 
the  authority  he  had  obtained  by  their  means,  for 
he  permitted  them  to  do  all  things  that  any  of  them 
desired.  While  their  inclination  to  plunder  was 
insatiable — as  was  their  zeal  in  searching  the  homes 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     201 

of  the  rich,  and  for  the  murdering  of  the  men  and 
abusing  of  the  women,  it  was  sport  to  them — they 
also  devoured  what  spoils  they  had  taken,  together 
with  their  blood,  and  indulged  themselves  in  femi- 
nine wantonness,  without  any  disturbance,  till  they 
were  satiated  therewith.  While  they  decked  their 
hair,  and  put  on  women's  garments,  and  were  be- 
smeared over  with  ointments,  that  they  might  ap- 
pear very  comely,  they  had  paints  under  their  eyes 
and  were  guilty  of  such  intolerable  uncleanness 
that  they  invented  unlawful  pleasures  and  rolled 
themselves  up  and  down  the  city  as  in  a  brothel 
house,  and  defiled  it  entirely  with  their  impure  ac- 
tions. Nay,  while  their  faces  looked  like  the  faces 
of  women,  they  killed  with  their  right  hands;  and 
when  their  gait  was  effeminate,  they  presently  at- 
tacked men  and  became  warriors,  and  drew  their 
swords  from  under  their  finely  dyed  cloaks,  and 
ran  everybody  through  whom  they  met  with. 
However,  Simon  waited  for  such  as  ran  away 
from  John,  and  was  the  more  sanguinary  of  the 
two;  and  he  who  escaped  the  tyrant  within  the 
wall  was  destroyed  by  the  other  that  day  before  the 
gates." 

No  wonder  they  were  likened  to  scorpions,  and 
that  they  had  power  to  hurt  men.  Five  months  is 
the  normal  life-period  of  the  locusts;  hence  they 
have  power  to  hurt  men  all  the  period  of  their  life. 
While  these  destroying,  tormenting  agents  seemed 
to  be  free,  yet  they  were  under  the  control  of  a  su- 
perintending power;  and  that  king  was  the  angel 


2O2      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

of  the  bottomless  pit,  who  was  sent  out  under  the 
direction  of  the  Lamb.  This  angel's  name — Abad- 
don or  Apollyon — means  "  destroyer."  Whether 
this  angel  was  a  spirit  of  good  or  of  evil,  he  was 
nevertheless  under  the  immediate  direction  of  the 
Almighty.  It  was  only  as  God  ordered  that  he 
could  act. 

"One  woe  is  past.  .  .  .  And  the  sixth  angel 
sounded,  and  I  heard  a  voice  from  the  four  horns 
of  the  golden  altar  which  is  before  God,  saying  to 
the  sixth  angel  which  had  the  trumpet,  Loose  the 
four  angels  which  are  bound  in  the  great  river  Eu- 
phrates. And  the  four  angels  were  loosed,  which 
were  prepared  for  an  hour,  and  a  day,  and  a 
month,  and  a  year,  for  to  slay  the  third  part  of 
men.  And  the  number  of  the  army  of  the  horse- 
men were  two  hundred  thousand  thousand:  and  I 
heard  the  number  of  them.  And  thus  I  saw  the 
horses  in  the  vision,  and  them  that  sat  on  them, 
having  breastplates  of  fire,  and  of  jacinth,  and 
brimstone :  and  the  heads  of  the  horses  were  as  the 
heads  of  lions;  and  out  of  their  mouths  issued  fire 
and  smoke  and  brimstone.  By  these  three  was  the 
third  part  of  men  killed,  by  the  fire,  and  by  the 
smoke,  and  by  the  brimstone,  which  issued  out  of 
their  mouths.  For  their  power  is  in  their  mouth, 
and  in  their  tails :  for  their  tails  were  like  unto  ser- 
pents, and  had  heads,  and  with  them  they  do  hurt. 
And  the  rest  of  the  men  which  were  not  killed  by 
these  plagues  yet  repented  not  of  the  works  of 
their  hands,  that  they  should  not  worship  devils, 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     203 

and  idols  of  gold,  and  silver,  and  brass,  and  stone, 
and  of  wood ;  which  neither  can  see,  nor  hear,  nor 
walk:  neither  repented  they  of  their  murders,  nor 
of  their  sorceries,  nor  of  their  fornication,  nor  of 
their  thefts." 

Some  six  hundred  and  eighty  years  before  this 
time  the  Chaldeans,  like  a  mighty  scourge,  had 
come  from  the  banks  of  the  Euphrates,  taken  Je- 
rusalem, destroyed  the  temple,  and  carried  Israel 
away  into  captivity.  Now  they  are  used  as  a  sym- 
bol for  the  present  destruction.  From  the  four 
horns  of  the  golden  altar  comes  the  voice  to  the 
sixth  angel,  commanding  him  to  loose  the  four  an- 
gels which  are  bound  in  the  great  river  Euphrates. 
This  command  is  the  result  of  the  prayers  that  have 
gone  up  from-  this  golden  altar.  When  atonement 
was  made,  each  horn  of  the  altar  was  sprinkled  with 
blood.  Through  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  these 
prayers  have  been  offered,  and  they  prevailed. 
The  barrier,  such  as  a  great  river,  is  removed, 
and  these  avenging  powers  represented  by  the  four 
angels  come  unhindered  to  their  work  of  destruc- 
tion. The  time — "  an  hour,  and  a  day,  and  a 
month,  and  a  year" — given  them  in  which  to 
"  slay  the  third  part  of  men"  would  indicate -that  the 
slaughter  would  not  be  alone  at  the  final  scene, 
when  the  city  should  fall  into  their  hands;  but 
from  the  time  they  encompassed  the  city  their  work 
should  begin,  and  hour  after  hour,  day  by  day, 
month  by  month,  and  year  by  year,  through  this 
fearful  war  the  slaughter  should  go  on.  This  was 


204      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

literally  fulfilled.  Long  before  the  investing  army 
reached  the  carcass,  John  and  Simon  and  Eleazar, 
like  dogs  of  war,  were  tearing  and  slaying  their 
fellow-countrymen  in  a  manner  never  known  be- 
fore in  the  history  of  war.  We  see  the  force  of 
this  symbol  of  the  Chaldeans  in  the  fact  recorded 
by  Josephus  of  the  destruction  of  the  temple: 
"  However,  one  cannot  but  wonder  at  the  accuracy 
of  this  period  thereto  relating.  For  the  same 
month  and  day  were  now  observed,  as  I  said  be- 
fore, wherein  the  holy  house  was  burned  formerly 
by  the  Babylonians." 

The  number  of  the  horses  is  given,  and  is  amaz- 
ing— "  two  hundred  thousand  thousand  "  — enough 
to  eat  up  the  "  third  part  of  the  green  grass."  But 
these  horses  were  symbolic,  and  every  thing  about 
them  betokened  their  terrific  power  for  destruc- 
tion. Their  riders  were  clad  in  "breastplates  of 
fire,  and  of  jacinth  and  brimstone,"  while  they 
themselves  had  heads  like  lions,  and  out  of  their 
mouths  issued  fire  and  smoke  and  brimstone. 
"Their  tails  were  like  unto  serpents,  and  had 
heads,  and  with  them  they  do  hurt."  Of  course 
this  was  not  literal,  but  was  intended  to  show  the 
power  for  injury  that  God's  avenging  army  had. 
Again  we  have  that  "  third  part  of  men  killed." 

"History  tells  us  that  fifteen  strong  cities  of  Gal- 
ilee were  carried  by  storm,  and  the  masses  of  men, 
women,  and  children  butchered;  that  about  three 
millions  of  Jews,  convened  for  their  great  annual 
passover,  were  crowded  within  the  walls  of  Jeru- 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     205 

salem  when  the  Roman  legions  invested  the  city 
and  shut  them  in;  and  that  when  the  city  fell 
scarcely  so  many  thousand  escaped — famine,  pes- 
tilence, conflagration,  their  own  sword,  and  the 
Roman  sword,  had  combined  their  powers  of  tort- 
ure and  death  to  make  this  scene  a  climax  of  hor- 
rors." As  has  been  said  of  these  three  millions, 
one  million  one  hundred  thousand  perished. 

For  all  these  plagues,  for  all  this  suffering  "  the 
rest  of  the  men  which  were  not  killed  by  these 
plagues  yet  repented  not  of  the  works  of  their 
hands,"  etc.  In  all  the  history  of  this  period  we 
hear  not  a  note  of  repentance.  Not  a  soul  returns 
to  God  or  calls  upon  him  for  mercy.  But,  throw- 
ing the  reins  of  their  mad  passions  upon  the  neck 
of  lust  for  rapine  and  murder,  they  rush  upon  the 
thick  basses  of  Jehovah's  buckler  as  if  they  court- 
ed death.  Men,  bowing  under  the  hand  of  fam- 
ine, staggered  from  house  to  house,  and  robbed 
the  inhabitants  of  their  gold  as  greedily  as  if  the 
fires  of  war  were  not  burning  all  around  them,  and 
death  was  not  the  most  common  scene  of  every 
day's  occurrence. 

That  they  "  neither  repented  of  their  murders, 
nor  of  their  sorceries,  nor  of  their  fornication,  nor 
of  their  thefts,"  hear  what  Josephus  tells  us  just 
before  the  city  fell:  "  But  as  for  John,  when  he 
could  no  longer  plunder  the  people,  he  betook 
himself  to  sacrilege,  and  melted  down  many  of  the 
sacred  utensils,  which  had  been  given  to  the  tern- 
pie." 


206      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

In  the  last  sad  scene,  when  pools  of  blood  lay 
all  over  the  marble  floor  of  the  temple,  and  tor- 
rents of  blood  in  many  places  extinguished  the 
fires,  when  the  Roman  soldiers  themselves  were 
weary  of  killing  men,  Josephus  says:  "The  sol- 
'diers  also  came  to  the  rest  of  the  cloisters  that  were 
in  the  outer  court  of  the  temple ;  whither  the  wom- 
en and  children,  and  a  mixed  multitude  of  the  peo- 
ple fled,  in  number  about  six  thousand.  But  before 
Csesar  [Titus]  had  determined  any  thing  about 
these  people,  or  given  the  commanders  any  orders 
relating  to  them,  the  soldiers  were  in  such  a  rage 
that  they  set  that  cloister  on  fire.  By  which  means 
some  of  these  were  destroyed  by  throwing  them- 
selves down  headlong;  and  some  were  burned  in 
the  cloisters  themselves.  Nor  did  any  of  them 
escape  with  their  lives.  A  false  -prophet  was  the 
occasion  of  these  people's  destruction;  who  had 
made  a  public  proclamation  in  the  city  that  very 
day  that  God  commanded  them  to  get  up  upon  the 
temple,  and  that  there  they  should  receive  mirac- 
ulous signs  of  deliverance.  Now  there  was  then 
a  great  number  of  false  prophets  suborned  by  the 
tyrants  to  impose  upon  the  people."  But  this  is 
enough  to  show  the  fulfillment  of  this  part  of  this 
symbol. 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  Angel  with  the  Little  Book — The  Temple  and  Altar  Meas- 
ured—The Two  Witnesses— The  Third  Woe. 

"  A  ND  I  saw  another  mighty  angel  come  down 
•**•  from  heaven,  clothed  with  a  cloud:  and  a 
rainbow  was  upon  his  head,  and  his  face  was  as  it 
were  the  sun,  and  his  feet  as  pillars  of  fire:  and 
he  had  in  his  hand  a  little  book  open:  and  he  set 
his  right  foot  upon  the  sea,  and  his  left  foot  on  the 
earth,  and  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  as  when  a  lion 
roareth:  and  when  he  had  cried,  seven  thunders 
uttered  their  voices.  And  when  the  seven  thun- 
ders had  uttered  their  voices,  I  was  about  to  write: 
and  I  heard  a  voice  from  lieaven  saying  unto  me, 
Seal  up  those  things  which  the  seven  thunders  ut- 
tered, and  write  them  not.  And  the  angel  which 
I  saw  stand  upon  the  sea  and  upon  the  earth  lifted 
up  his  hand  to  heaven,  and  sware  by  him  that  liv- 
eth  forever  and  ever,  who  created  heaven,  and  the 
things  that  therein  are,  and  the  earth,  and  the 
things  that  therein  are,  and  the  sea,  and  the  things 
which  are  therein,  that  there  should  be  time  no 
longer:  but  in  the  days  of  the  voice  of  the  seventh 
angel,  when  he  shall  begin  to  sound,  the  mystery 
of  God  should  be  finished,  as  he  hath  declared  to 
his  servants  the  prophets.  And  the  voice  which  I 
heard  from  heaven  spake  unto  me  again,  and  said, 
Go  and  take  the  little  book  which  is  open  in  the 

(207) 


208      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

hand  of  the  angel  which  standeth  upon  the  sea  and 
upon  the  earth.  And  I  went  unto  the  angel,  and 
said  unto  him,  Give  me  the  little  book.  And  he 
said  unto  me,  Take  it,  and  eat  it  up;  and  it  shall 
make  thy  belly  bitter,  but  it  shall  be  in  thy  mouth 
sweet  as  honey.  And  I  took  the  little  book  out  of 
the  angel's  hand,  and  ate  it  up;  and  it  was  in  my 
mouth  sweet  as  honey:  and  as  soon  as  I  had  eaten 
it,  my  belly  was  bitter.  And  he  said  unto  me, 
Thou  must  prophesy  again  before  many  peoples, 
and  nations,  and  tongues,  and  kings." 

The  first  thing  to  be  determined  is :  Who  is  this 
angel?  We  have  no  hesitancy  in  saying  that  it  is 
Jesus  himself.  The  description  is  almost  identical 
with  that  of  Jesus  in  the  first  chapter.  The  care- 
ful Bible  reader  need  not  be  told  that  the  term  is 
more  than  once  applied  to  Jesus  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. The  reader  must  not  think  that  all  the 
scenes  portrayed  in  the  preceding  chapters  have 
been  enacted.  Only  the  revelation  of  them  has 
been  made.  Now  the  hour  comes  for  their  fulfill- 
ment. The  seals  have  all  been  broken,  the  con- 
tents noted,  and  now  the  angel  comes  down  to 
earth  with  the  book  open;  and,  setting  his  feet 
upon  sea  and  land,  he  announces  his  presence  by 
a  loud  cry  that  startles  the  seven  thunders.  These 
thunders  syllabled  some  great  fact,  which  John  was 
about  to  record,  but  is  commanded  not  to  do  so. 
The  next  verses  reveal  the  reason.  The  angel,  in 
the  most  solemn  manner,  swears  that  time  shall  be 
no  longer.  Not  that  time  is  to  end  and  eternity 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     209 

begin,  but  the  time  for  his  judgments  to  begin  was 
at  hand.  No  more  delay.  The  judgments  uttered 
by  these  seven  thunders  will  follow  immediately, 
and  they  will  be  known  in  their  fulfillment.  So 
near  is  the  cloud  of  wrath  that  the  lightning's  flash 
and  thunder's  peal  are  simultaneous. 

But  while  the  things  that  are  to  befall  the  Jews 
are  at  hand,  yet  there  are  other  things  of  equal 
importance  that  lie  in  the  future.  Of  these  John 
must  be  apprised.  Hence  the  voice  "  spake  unto 
him  again,  and  said,  Go  and  take  the  little  book 
which  is  open  in  the  hand  of  the  angel  which 
standeth  upon  the  sea  and  upon  the  earth."  He 
went  and  asked  for  it.  It  was  given  with  the  com- 
mand to  take  it  and  eat  it  up — that  is,  thoroughly 
digest  its  contents.  He  did  so,  and  found  that  it 
was  in  his  mouth  sweet  as  honey,  but  in  his  belly 
it  was  bitter. 

The  other  great  persecuting  power  of  the  Chris- 
itan  Church,  pagan  Rome,  was  to  be  destroyed, 
and  the  knowledge  of  this  fact  was  sweet;  yet  the 
fearful  calamities  and  the  human  suffering  that  were 
to  befall  them  was  bitter.  It  was  glorious  to  have 
the  yoke  of  their  oppressor  broken,  but  the  suffer- 
ing entailed  upon  even  their  enemies  could  not  but 
pain  the  heart. 

When  the  book  was  eaten,  the  angel  announced 
to  him  that  he  must  prophesy  again  before  many 
peoples,  etc. 

Under  Jewish  law,  when  a  criminal  was  executed, 
the  witnesses,  of  which  there  must  be  at  least  two, 
14 


2io     The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

were  to  strike  the  first  blow.  Here  is  the  law: 
"At  the  mouth  of  two  witnesses,  or  three  witnesses, 
shall  he  that  is  worthy  of  death  be  put  to  death; 
but  at  the  mouth  of  one  witness  he  shall  not  be  put 
to  death.  The  hands  of  the  witnesses  shall  be  first 
upon  him  to  put  him  to  death."  The  Jewish  na- 
tion was  to  die  at  the  hands  of  God,  but  before  the 
execution  the  witnesses  are  to  be  summoned. 

The  first  announcement  is:  "  There  was  given 
me  a  reed  like  unto  a  rod:  and  the  angel  stood, 
saying,  Rise,  and  measure  the  temple  of  God,  and 
the  altar,  and  them  that  worship  therein.  But  the 
court  which  is  without  the  temple  leave  out,  and 
measure  it  not;  for  it  is  given  unto  the  Gentiles: 
and  the  holy  city  shall  they  tread  under  foot  forty 
and  two  months."  This  measuring  is  for  judgment. 
In  Isaiah  xxviii.  17,  18,  we  have  the  language: 
"  Judgment  will  I  lay  to  the  line,  and  righteousness 
to  the  plummet :  and  the  hail  shall  sweep  away  the 
refuge  of  lies,  and  the  waters  shall  overflow  the 
hiding-place.  And  your  covenant  with  death  shall 
be  disannulled,  and  your  agreement  with  hell  shall 
not  stand ;  when  the  overflowing  scourge  shall  pass 
through,  then  ye  shall  be  trodden  down  by  it." 
Here  God  with  his  line  and  plummet  measures 
them  for  the  destruction  that  is  to  follow.  So  the 
temple,  the  altar,  and  the  people  that  worship 
therein  are  measured  for  destruction;  and,  while 
the  court  of  the  Gentiles  is  excluded,  the  holy  city 
is  to  be  trodden  under  foot  forty  and  two  months. 

There  was  never  a  time  in  the  history  of  the  Jew- 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     21 1 

ish  nation  so  terrible  as  that  three  and  a  half  years 
(forty-two  months)  in  which  he  took  away  the  daily 
sacrifice,  desecrated  and  profaned  all  the  sacred 
vessels  of  the  sanctuary.  So  this  period  is  used 
symbolically  to  represent  that.  Used  as  a  symbol, 
it  was  not  necessary  that  the  sufferings  of  this  pe- 
riod should  measure  up  to  the  exact  time,  though 
it  is  thought  by  some  that  this  was  the  case..  The 
language  here  is  similar  to  that  used  by  Jesus  when 
speaking  of  the  same  thing:  "And  Jerusalem  shall 
be  trodden  down  of  the  Gentiles."  The  language 
used  in  this  symbol  fixes  Jerusalem  unmistakably 
as  the  place.  It  was  called  "holy  city,"  and 
"the  temple  of  God"  was  found  nowhere  else. 
Then  the  "court  which  is  without  the  temple" 
given  to  the  "Gentiles  "  is  another  strong  pointer 
in  this  direction.  Nowhere  else  is  such  a  court 
found.  The  temple,  altar,  and  people  being  meas- 
ured for  destruction,  God  summons  his  two  wit- 
nesses. 

"  I  will  give  power  unto  my  two  witnesses,  and 
they  shall  prophesy  a  thousand  two  hundred  and 
threescore  days,  clothed  in  sackcloth."  Here  is 
the  three  years  and  a  half,  lacking  only  fifteen 
days,  spoken  of  before.  Thus  these  witnesses 
are  to  stand  by  during  the  entire  time  of  the  ex- 
ecution. "  These  are  the  two  olive-trees,  and  the 
two  candlesticks  standing  before  the  God  of  the 
earth." 

The  question  may  be  asked :  '  *  Who  are  these  two 
witnesses?  "  They  are  only  symbols  of  the  "  souls 


212      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

of  them  that  were  slain  for  the  word  of  God,  and 
for  the  testimony  which  they  held,"  and  of  "  all 
the  saints"  whose  prayers  were  offered  with  the 
incense  that  rose  from  the  golden  altar  which  was 
before  the  throne  —  the  martyrs  and  the  living 
saints  who  were  still  suffering  persecutions.  These 
were  men  who  had  been  converted  to  God  through 
the  agency  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Hence  they  are 
called  in  the  symbol  "the  two  olive-trees,  and  the 
two  candlesticks  standing  before  the  God  of  the 
earth,"  referred  to  in  Zechariah  iv.  The  angel 
that  talked  to  him  asked  him:  "  Knowest  thou  not 
wrhat  these  be?  And  I  said,  No,  my  lord.  Then  he 
answered  and  'spake  unto  me,  saying,  This  is  the 
word  of  the  Lord  unto  Zerubbabel,  saying,  Not  by 
might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  my  Spirit,  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts."  It  wras,  then,  a  religion  wrought 
in  the  heart  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  through 
the  preaching  of  the  word.  This  is  just  the  relig- 
ion of  Jesus,  as  taught  in  every  part  of  the  New 
Testament.  Then  we  repeat  that  these  two  wit- 
nesses are  symbols  of  the  martyrs  and  saints  of 
Jesus  who  stood  firm  for  his  faith.  These  faithful 
witnesses  stood  by  their  testimony  while  the  execu- 
tioners of  God's  judgments  poured  out  the  wrath 
of  God  upon  this  people  whose  hands  were  red 
with  the  blood  of  his  saints. 

"And  if  any  man  will  hurt  them,  fire  proceedeth 
out  of  their  mouth,  and  devoureth  their  enemies: 
and  if  any  man  will  hurt  them,  he  must  in  this 
manner  be  killed." 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.      213 

Again  we  must  say  that  this  is  not  literal,  but  is 
only  intended  to  show  that  God's  fires  of  judgment 
then  falling  upon  them  was  because  the  testimony 
of  their  mouth  was  condemning  them.  God  was 
calling  the  world  to  listen  to  the  testimony  of  these 
two  witnesses,  as  he  dealt  the  death-blow  to  these 
criminals. 

"  These  have  power  to  shut  heaven,  that  it  rain 
not  in  the  days  of  their  prophecy:  and  have  power 
over  waters  to  turn  them  to  blood,  and  to  smite  the 
earth  with  all  plagues,  as  often  as  they  will." 

Elijah  prayed,  and  it  rained  not  for  the  space  of 
three  years  and  six  months.  This  miracle  of  shutting 
the  heaven  was  wrought  to  convince  wicked  Ahab 
and  idolatrous  Israel  of  their  sins.  So  these  wit- 
nesses are  sent  for  the  purpose  of  convincing  this 
wicked  and  adulterous  generation  of  their  sins. 
Moses  turned  water  to  blood,  and  smote  the  earth 
with  plagues  to  convince  Pharaoh  and  his  people 
of  their  sins.  So  of  these. 

But,  righteous  as  they  are,  this  does  not  prevent 
the  devil  from  killing  them;  for  it  is  said:  "And 
when  they  shall  have  finished  their  testimony,  the 
beast  that  ascendeth  out  of  the  bottomless  pit  shall 
make  war  against  them,  and  shall  overcome  them, 
and  kill  them.  And  their  dead  bodies  shall  lie  in 
the  street  of  the  great  city,  which  spiritually  is 
called  Sodom  and  Egypt,  where  also  our  Lord 
was  crucified."  God  shields  them  until  their  tes- 
timony is  finished.  * '  They  are  immortal  until  their 
work  is  done ;  "  then  Satan — for  this  is  the  same 


214      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

"  great  red  dragon,  the  old  serpent  called  the  devil 
and  Satan,"  spoken  of  in  the  next  chapter — over- 
comes them  and  kills  them.  The  great  indignity 
heaped  upon  them  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  their 
dead  bodies  are  suffered  to  lie  three  days  and  a 
half  unburied  in  the  streets  of  the  great  city. 

In  some  respects  this  is  one  of  the  most  impor- 
tant verses  in  this  vision,  for  it  locates  beyond  a 
peradventure  the  -place  where  these  judgments  take 
place.  It  is  "  the  great  city  which  spiritually  is 
called  Sodom  and  Egypt,  -where  also  our  Lord  was 
crucified '."  Isaiah  calls  Jerusalem  Sodom  in  the 
first  chapter  of  his  prophecy.  It  was  a  spiritual 
Sodom;  and  on  account  of  the  manner  in  which 
they  hardened  their  hearts  it  is  called  Egypt;  but, 
to  settle  the  matter  forever,  it  is  called  the  place 
"  where  our  Lord  was  crucified."  No  other  place 
on  earth  can  lay  claim  to  this  crowning  act  of  in- 
iquity but  Jerusalem.  It  would  seem  that  God,  to 
forestall  such  wild  and  visionary  interpretations  as 
are  given  of  this  wonderful  revelation,  dropped  for 
a  moment  the  figurative,  and  used  literal  language. 
It  would  seem  that  Jesus  was  recalling  his  own  ex- 
pression, used  while  here  on  earth  with  reference 
to  this  wicked  city.  When  certain  Pharisees  said 
to  him,  "  Get  theeout,  and  depart  hence;  for  Her- 
od will  kill  thee,"  he  replied:  "I  must  walk  to- 
day, and  to-morrow,  and  the  day  following:  for  it 
cannot  be  that  a  prophet  perish  out  of  Jerusalem. 
O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  which  killest  the  proph- 
ets, and  stonest  them  that  are  sent  unto  thee;  how 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     215 

often  would  I  have  gathered  thy  children  together, 
even  as  a  hen  doth  gather  her  brood  under  her 
wings,  and  ye  would  not!  Behold,  your  house  is 
left  unto  you  desolate." 

Here  Jesus  declares  that  he  must  "walk  to-day, 
and  to-morrow,  and  the  day  following,"  intimating 
that  in  the  midst  of  the  fourth  day  he  would  perish 
under  the  hands  of  the  citizens  of  Jerusalem. 
Here  is  the  three  days  and  a  half  to  which  this 
symbol,  in  part  no  doubt,  refers.  While  the  blood 
of  her  prophets  and  apostles  was  calling  loudly  for 
vengeance,  the  blood  of  Jesus  came  in  for  its  share. 
When  on  his  way  to  the  cross  the  women  bewailed 
and  lamented  him,  he  turned  and  said:  "  Daugh- 
ters of  Jerusalem,  weep  not  for  me,  but  weep  for 
yourselves,  and  for  your  children.  For,  behold, 
the  days  are  coming,  in  the  which  they  shall  say, 
Blessed  are  the  barren,  and  the  wombs  that  never 
bare,  and  the  paps  which  never  gave  suck.  Then 
shall  they  begin  to  say  to  the  mountains,  Fall  on 
us ;  and  to  the  hills,  Cover  us.  For  if  they  do  these 
things  in  a  green  tree,  what  shall  be  done  in  the 
dry?"  It  does  seem  that  every  ray  of  prophecy 
on  this  subject  turns  in  one  burning  focus  upon  this 
devoted  city.  And  how  men  can  apply  these  sym- 
bols to  distant  ages  and  different  places  is  more 
than  I  can  see. 

"And  they  of  the  people  and  kindred  and  tongues 
and  nations  shall  see  their  dead  bodies  three  days 
and  a  half,  and  shall  not  suffer  thieir  dead  bodies 
to  be  put  in  graves.  And  they  that  dwell  upon  the 


2i6      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

earth  shall  rejoice  over  them,  and  make  merry,  and 
shall  send  gifts  one  to  another;  because  these  two 
prophets  tormented  them  that  dwelt  on  the  earth. 
And  after  three  days  and  a  half  the  Spirit  of  life 
from  God  entered  into  them,  and  they  stood  upon 
their  feet;  and  great  fear  fell  upon  them  which  saw 
them." 

Here  is  exultation  over  the  fall  of  these  saints. 
They  felt  when  they  had  slain  them  as  the  rulers 
of  the  Jews  felt  when  they  succeeded  in  crucifying 
Jesus,  and  their  joy  was  as  short.  It  was  the 
prayers  of  the  souls  of  the  dead  martyrs  and  his 
persecuted  saints  that  moved  God  to  vengeance. 

"And  they  heard  a  great  voice  from  heaven  say- 
ing unto  them,  Come  up  hither.  And  they  as- 
cended up  to  heaven  in  a  cloud;  and  their  enemies 
beheld  them." 

This  is  symbolical  of  the  fact  that  these  wit- 
nesses were  called  immediately  before  the  king  to 
testify  as  to  the  conduct  of  their  foes.  There  is 
an  allusion  to  these  witnesses,  and  the  judgment 
that  is  to  fall  upon  those  against  whom  they  testify, 
in  Hebrews  x.  28-31:  "  He  that  despised  Moses' 
law  died  without  mercy  under  two  or  three  wit- 
nesses: of  how  much  sorer  punishment,  suppose  ye, 
shall  he  be  thought  worthy,  who  hath  trodden  un- 
der foot  the  Son  of  God,  and  hath  counted  the 
blood  of  the  covenant,  wherewith  he  was  sanctified, 
an  unholy  thing,  and  hath  done  despite  unto  the 
Spirit  of  grace?  For  we  know  him  that  hath  said, 
Vengeance  belongeth  unto  me,  I  will  recompense, 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     217 

saith  the  Lord.  And  again,  The  Lord  shall  judge 
his  people.  It  is  a  fearful  thing  to  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  living  God."  This  is  so  plain  that  it 
needs  no  comment. 

And  now  conies  the  final  scene,  the  last  blow: 
"And  the  same  hour  was  there  a  great  earthquake, 
and  the  tenth  part  of  the  city  fell,  and  in  the  earth- 
quake were  slain  of  men  seven  thousand :  and  the 
remnant  were  affrighted,  and  gave  glory  to  the 
God  of  heaven.  The  second  woe  is  past,  and,  be- 
hold, the  third  woe  cometh  quickly."  These  were 
not  literal  shocks  of  an  earthquake,  but  it  repre- 
sented the  shock  of  the  Roman  army,  who  broke 
down  the  walls  of  the  great  city  and  slew  right 
and  left  until  they  were  weary  of  slaughter.  Again 
we  have  a  definite  number  to  represent  an  indefinite, 
but  the  slain  was  up  in  the  thousands.  When  the 
Roman  soldiers  broke  into  the  city,  the  temple 
seemed  to  be  the  center  of  the  great  battle  and  the 
scenes  of  the  greatest  slaughter.  As  the  altar  and 
the  temple  and  those  that  worship  therein  had  been 
measured  for  destruction,  so  it  was  as  Josephus 
says:  "  Now  round  about  the  altar  lay  dead  bod- 
ies, heaped  one  upon  another;  as  at  the  steps,  go- 
ing up  to  it,  ran  a  great  quantity  of  their  blood; 
whither,  also,  the  dead  bodies  that  were  slain  above 
on  the  altar  fell  down." 

Titus  tried  to  save  the  temple,  but  it  was  set  on 
fire.  Josephus  says:  "While  the  holy  house  was 
on  fire,  every  thing  was  plundered  that  came  to 
hand ;  and  ten  thousand  of  those  that  were  caught 


2i8      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

were  slain.  Nor  was  there  a  commiseration  of  any 
age,  or  any  reverence  of  gravity;  but  children  and 
old  men,  priests  and  profane  persons,  were  all 
slain  in  the  same  manner,  .  .  .  yet  was  the 
misery  itself  more  terrible  than  this  disorder.  For 
one  would  have  thought  that  the  very  hill  on  which 
the  temple  stood  was  red  hot,  as  full  of  fire  was 
every  part  of  it,  that  the  blood  was  larger  in  quan- 
tity than  the  fire,  and  those  that  were  slain  more  in 
number  than  those  that  slew  them.  For  the  ground 
did  nowhere  appear  visible,  for  the  dead  bodies 
that  lay  on  it ;  but  the  soldiers  went  over  heaps  of 
those  bodies,  as  they  ran  upon  such  as  fled  from 
them." 

This  picture  was  not  painted  from  imagination, 
for  Josephus  was  at  the  time  in  the  army  of  Titus, 
having  been  taken  prisoner,  and  was  an  eye-wit- 
ness of  what  he  describes. 

One  angel  alone  stands  before  the  throne  who 
has  not  yet  sounded  his  trumpet.  One  last  act  in 
the  awful  drama  remains  to  be  performed:  "And 
the  seventh  angel  sounded;  and  there  were  great 
voices  in  heaven,  saying,  The  kingdoms  of  this 
world  are  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord,  and 
of  his  Christ;  and  he  shall  reign  forever  and  ever. 
And  the  four  and  twenty  elders,  which  sat  before 
God  on  their  seats,  fell  upon  their  faces,  and  wor- 
shiped God,  saying,  We  give  thee  thanks,  O  Lord 
God  Almighty,  which  art,  and  wast,  and  art  to 
come;  because  thou  hast  taken  to  thee  thy  great 
power,  and  hast  reigned.  And  the  nations  were 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     219 

angry,  and  thy  wrath  is  come,  and  the  time  of  the 
dead,  that  they  should  be  judged,  and  that  thou 
shouldest  give  reward  unto  thy  servants  the  proph- 
ets, and  to  the  saints,  and  them  that  fear  thy  name, 
small  and  great;  and  shouldest  destroy  them  which 
destroy  the  earth." 

This  completes  the  scene.  The  last  grand  blow 
is  struck,  that  not  only  routs  the  armies  of  the  en- 
emy, but  secures  a  complete  victory.  All  is  sub- 
dued under  the  sword  of  the  rider  upon  the  white 
horse,  who  took  his  place  at  the  head  of  the  col- 
umn when  the  first  seal  was  broken.  When  he 
took  the  little  book  out  of  the  hand  of  him  that  sat 
on  the  throne,  all  heaven  shouted  :  "  Worthy  is  the 
Lamb  that  was  slain  to  receive  power,  and  riches, 
and  wisdom,  and  strength,  and  honor,  and  glory, 
and  blessing."  Now  as  this  conqueror  returned 
from  the  war  with  all  the  standards  of  the  enemy 
in  possession,  the  mighty  voices  of  heaven  sound 
the  pseans  of  praise,  and  say:  "  The  kingdoms  of 
this  world  are  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord, 
and  of  his  Christ;  and  he  shall  reign  forever  and 
ever." 

There  is  no  description  of  the  final  scene  given. 
Only  the  result  is  announced:  a  complete  victory. 
The  nations  were  angry ;  but  when  this  roused  the 
anger  of  the  Lamb,  when  the  prayers  of  the  souls 
of  those  under  the  altar,  slain  for  his  word  and  the 
testimony  which  they  bare,  and  the  prayers  of  his 
servants  the  prophets  and  the  saints  and  them  that 
feared  his  name,  small  and  great,  came  up  before 


22O      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

him,  mingled  with  a  cloud  of  incense,  then  he 
arose  to  destroy  them  which  destroyeth  the  earth. 
Jesus  had  said,  when  referring  to  this  very  fact: 
"  There  be  some  standing  here,  which  shall  not 
taste  of  death,  till  they  see  the  Son  of  man  coming 
in  his  kingdom."  And  again:  "  Verily,  this  gen- 
eration shall  not  pass,  till  all  these  things  be  ful- 
filled." Now  the  first  great  persecuting  power  of 
the  infant  Church  had  been  destroyed,  and  all 
nations  were  open  to  the  gospel. 

"And  the  temple  of  God  was  opened  in  heaven, 
and  there  were  seen  in  his  temple  the  ark  of  his 
testament;  and  there  were  lightnings,  and  voices, 
and  thunderings,  and  an  earthquake,  and  great 
hail.  ' 

Paul  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  makes  this 
plain.  Now  that  the  temple,  with  all  its  sacred 
implements  of  worship — even  to  the  ark  of  the  cov- 
enant on  which  rested  the  mercy-seat — had  been 
destroyed,  it  was  necessary  to  reveal  to  the  Church 
the  great  fact  that  "  Christ  is  not  entered  into  the 
holy  places  made  with  hands,  which  are  the  figures 
of  the  true ;  but  into  heaven  itself,  now  to  appear 
in  the  presence  of  God  for  us." 

Jesus  said  to  the  woman  of  Samaria:  "  Woman, 
believe  me,  the  hour  cometh,  when  ye  shall  neither 
in  this  mountain,  nor  yet  at  yerusalem,  worship  the 
Father.  .  .'  .  But  the  hour  cometh,  and  now  isj 
when  the  true  worshipers  shall  worship  the  Father 
in  spirit  and  in  truth :  for  the  Father  seeketh  such 
to  worship  him." 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     221 

Now  this  thing  was  made  manifest  to  all  the  king- 
doms brought  under  the  power  of  the  Lamb.  The 
ark,  the  true  ark,  was  still  safe,  it  was  in  heaven. 
Above  it  were  still  stretched  the  wings  of  the  cher- 
ubim ;  but  they  were  living  creatures.  ,  The  throne 
of  God  was  the  throne  of  grace,  all  sprinkled  with 
the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  who  had  the  veil  (his 
body)  rent  for  the  passage;  and  we  "have  a  strong 
consolation,  who  have  fled  for  refuge  to  lay  hold 
upon  the  hope  set  before  us :  which  hope  we  have 
as  an  anchor  of  the  soul,  both  sure  and  steadfast, 
and  which  entereth  into  that  within  the  veil ;  whith- 
er the  forerunner  is  for  us  entered,  even  Jesus, 
made  a  high  priest  forever  after  the  order  of  Mel- 
chisedec." 

"And  there  were  lightnings,  and  voices,  and 
thunderings,  and  an  earthquake,  and  great  hail." 

This  doubtless  was  to  give  his  people  assurance 
that  there  was  still  a  reserve  of  power,  ready  at 
any  moment  to  be  used  for  the  destruction  of  their 
foes. 

This  closes  the  first  main  division  of  this  book. 
We  have  not  turned  aside  to  combat  the  views  of 
other  men.  It  is  true  that  we  have  occasionally 
alluded  to  some  of  these;  that  is  all.  There  can 
be  but  one  true  interpretation  of  this  book.  We 
lay  claim  to  one  fact:  we  have  been  consistent  in 
all  our  interpretations  of  it.  We  have  presented 
nothing  on  our  own  dictum,  but  have  in  every  in- 
stance given  the  proof  of  our  views,  substantiating 
them  by  proofs  both  from  Scripture  and  history. 


222      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

We  have  not  tried  in  any  instance,  in  interpreting 
a  symbol,  to  explain  al]  its  parts,  or,  as  some  have 
expressed  it,  "to  make  it  go  on  all  fours."  We 
might  have  entered  more  into  detail,  but  our  pur- 
pose was  to  give,  as  far  as  we  were  able,  the  pur- 
pose of  the  revealing  spirit.  We  have  made  no 
display  of  ingenuity  or  of  great  learning;  we  are 
content  if  we  have  led  the  reader  into  a  true  un- 
derstanding of  the  design  and  purposes  of  the  book. 
The  wild  and  visionary  interpretations  of  it  that 
reach  along  down  the  ages,  even  to  our  own  time, 
have  never  served  any  good  purpose;  nor  have 
men  ever  been  able  to  agree  upon  any  of  these  far- 
reaching  theories. 


CHAPTER  XL 

The  Second  Great  Persecuting  Power,  Pagan  Rome  —  The 
Messiah  Born — The  Dragon — The  Beast  from  the  Sea — The 
Beast  from  the  Earth — The  Lamb  on  Mount  Sion — The  Fall 
of  Babylon,  or  Rome. 

WE  come  now  to  the  overthrow  of  the  second 
great  persecuting  power,  pagan  Rome.  As 
a  preface  to  the  scenes  of  this  part  of  Revelation 
we  are  taken  back  to  the  birth  of  the  Messiah  and 
to  the  effort  made  for  his  destruction;  and,  when 
this  failed,  to  the  effort  to  destroy  the  Christian 
Church  by  the  devil. 

" And  there  appeared  a  great  wonder  in  heaven; 
a  woman  clothed  with  the  sun,  and  the  moon  un- 
der her  feet,  and  upon  her  head  a  crown  of  twelve 
stars:  and  she  being  with  child  cried,  travailing  in 
birth,  and  pain  to  be  delivered." 

This  symbol  is  shown  in  heaven.  The  woman 
represents  the  Church.  This  is  a  figure  quite  com- 
mon, especially  in  the  prophecy  of  Isaiah.  In  the 
fifty-fourth  chapter  she  is  represented  as  a  woman 
who  is  to  have  a  very  large  increase  of  children, 
and  she  is  commanded  to  get  ready  for  them  by  en- 
larging her  tent,  and  again  in  the  sixty-second 
and  sixty-sixth  chapters.  Perhaps  Solomon  al- 
ludes to  the  Church,  as  represented  by  a  woman, 
when  he  says :  * '  Who  is  she  that  looketh  forth  in 
the  morning,  fair  as  the  moon,  clear  as  the  sun, 
and  terrible  as  an  army  with  banners." 

(223) 


224      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

This  woman  being  clothed  with  the  sun,  with  the 
moon  under  her  feet,  as  to  the  exceeding  beauty 
of  her  array,  was  the  beloved  of  God,  the  Church 
for  which  Jesus  gave  his  life,  and  her  appearance 
was  beyond  any  thing  earthly.  The  crown  of 
twelve  stars  represented  that  she  was  the  Church 
of  God.  First  there  were  twelve  patriarchs,  and 
next  twelve  apostles.  In  this  symbol  the  Church 
is  to  give  birth  to  the  Messiah.  When  the  time 
came  for  her  delivery  of  the  child,  John  says :  "And 
there  appeared  another  wonder  in  heaven;  and  be- 
hold a  great  red  dragon,  having  seven  heads  and 
ten  horns,  and  seven  crowns  upon  his  heads/' 
There  is  no  mistake  about  this  being  the  devil,  for 
in  the  ninth  verse  he  is  specially  characterized  as 
such,  as  we  shall  see.  He  is  red,  indicating  the 
fact  that  he  is  a  murderer  and  capable  of  bloody 
work.  Dragon  is  another  name  for  serpent,  the 
guise  under  which  he  appeared  to  our  first  parents 
in  the  garden.  His  seven  heads  indicate  his  wis- 
dom, and  his  horns  and  crowns  that  he  is  not  alone 
in  his  work,  but  that  kings  and  nations  are  at  his 
command  to  work  for  him  in  persecuting  the 
Church  and  slaying  her  children. 

"And  his  tail  drew  the  third  part  of  the  stars  of 
heaven,  and  did  cast  them  to  the  earth." 

We  have  but  little  in  the  Scriptures  to  enlighten 
us  as  to  the  origin  of  the  devil  and  his  angels,  but 
what  we  have  shows  us  that  they  were  once  angels 
of  light,  and  that  "they  kept  not  their  first  estate, 
but  left  their  own  habitation."  No  doubt  they  were 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     225 

led  in  their  rebellion  by  this  dragon,  who  is  said 
to  draw  them  with  his  tail — that  is,  they  followed 
his  leadership  to  their  own  ruin.  Peter  tells  us 
they  were  "  cast  down  to  hell."  But  we  must  not 
forget  that  this  is  symbolic  language,  intended  to 
represent  to  us  the  character  who  is  engaged  in 
this  work  of  persecution. 

"And  the  dragon  stood  before  the  woman  which 
was  ready  to  be  delivered,  for  to  devour  her  child 
as  soon  as  it  was  born." 

We  know  that  the  devil  made  the  effort  to  de- 
stroy the  young  child  Jesus  when  he  was  born,  by 
instigating  one  of  the  kings  under  his  control  to  do 
the  bloody  work.  For  ' '  Herod  sent  forth,  and  slew 
all  the  children  that  were  in  Bethlehem,  and  in  all 
the  coasts  thereof,  from  two  years  old  and  under." 

"And  she  brought  forth  a  man  child,  who  was 
to  rule  all  nations  with  a  rod  of  iron:  and  her 
child  was  caught  up  unto  God,  and  to  his  throne." 

God  warned  Joseph  in  a  dream  to  flee  into 
Epypt,  and  thus  was  his  life  spared.  It  was  as  if 
God  had  caught  him  up  out  of  harm's  way.  Not 
only  so;  he  was  taken  to  his  throne.  God  anoint- 
ed him  King,  thus  setting  him  upon  his  throne. 
He  was  preserved  for  this  throne.  That  this  child 
was  the  Messiah  is  made  plain  by  the  expression, 
"He  shall  rule  all  nations  with  a  rod  of  iron." 
Whatever  that  may  mean,  it  is  just  what  is  said  of 
the  Messiah  in  the  second  Psalm,  a  Psalm  that  the 
apostles  applied  to  Christ.  There  it  is  said  to  him: 
"Ask  of  me,  and  I  shall  give  thee  the  heathen  for 
15 


226      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

thine  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
earth  for  thy  possession.  Thou  shalt  break  them 
with  a  rod  of  iron."  Here  are  the  heathen  and  the 
uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  given  for  a  "posses- 
sion," equivalent  to  **  all  nations"  in  this  symbol. 

"And  the  woman  fled  into  the  wilderness,  where 
she  hath  a  place  prepared  of  God,  that  they  should 
feed  her  there  a  thousand  two  hundred  and  three- 
score days." 

This  part  of  the  symbol  refers  to  the  manner  in 
which  God  provided  for  the  protection  of  his  peo- 
ple when  they  cried  unto  him,  when  under  the 
hand  of  their  oppressors  in  Egypt.  He  said  to 
Moses:  "I  have  surely  seen  the  affliction  of  my 
people  which  are  in  Egypt,  and  have  heard  their 
cry  by  reason  of  their  taskmasters;  for  I  know 
their  sorrows;  and  I  am  come  down  to  deliver 
them  out  of  the  hand  of  the  Egyptians."  They 
were  taken  into  the  wilderness,  where  their  ene- 
mies could  not  follow  them,  and  yet  in  that  wilder- 
ness they  were  fed  forty  years.  Here  the  Church 
is  to  be  protected  in  her  persecution  by  the  power 
of  God  for  a  space  of  about  three  and  a  half  years. 
Whether  this  is  a  definite  time,  or  the  time  of  Isra- 
el's oppression  under  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  it  does 
not  matter.  We  have  seen  the  folly  of  reckoning 
these  days  each  as  a  year,  no  such  custom  in 
prophecy  prevailing.  God  will  see  to  it  that  his 
Church,  as  symbolized  by  the  woman,  shall  be 
protected  till  the  time  of  persecution  and  danger 
shall  pass,  be  that  time  long  or  short. 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     227 

"And  there  was  war  in  heaven:  Michael  and  his 
angels  fought  against  the  dragon ;  and  the  dragon 
fought  and  his  angels,  and  prevailed  not;  neither 
was  their  place  found  any  more  in  heaven.  And 
the  great  dragon  was  cast  out,  that  old  serpent, 
called  the  Devil,  and  Satan,  which  deceive th  the 
whole  world:  he  was  cast  out  into  the  earth,  and 
his  angels  were  cast  out  with  him." 

This  represents  the  desperate  effort  made  by  the 
devil  and  his  angels  for  the  destruction  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Not  content  when  Jesus  was  protected  by 
the  power  of  God  in  infancy,  so  soon  as  he  enters 
upon  his  ministry  he  is  met  in  the  wilderness  and 
sorely  tempted  of  the  devil.  And  again  is  another 
attack  made  in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane,  when 
Jesus  said  to  the  chief  priests  when  they  came  to 
arrest  him:  "But  this  is  your  hour,  and  the  power 
of  darkness."  The  dragon  fought,  and  his  angels, 
and  prevailed  not;  Jesus  stood  firm,  and  overcame 
him  and  his  army.  He  said  to  his  disciples,  "  I 
beheld  Satan  as  lightning  fall  from  heaven,"  mean- 
ing by  that  that  he  was  vanquished.  They  were 
cast  out  into  the  earth.  There  can  be  no  mistake 
as  to  the  identity  of  this  dragon ;  he  is  the  old  ser- 
pent that  tempted  Eve,  called  the  devil,  which  means 
the  accuser  of  the  brethren ;  and  Satan,  a  malicious 
hater  both  of  God  and  all  the  good.  He  works 
only  for  evil;  but  the  Son  of  God  was  manifested 
that  he  might  destroy  the  works  of  the  devil. 

"And   I  heard  a  loud  voice  saying  in  heaven, 
Now  is  come  salvation,  and  strength,  and  the  king- 


228      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

dom  of  our  God,  and  the  power  of  his  Christ:  for 
the  accuser  of  our  brethren  is  cast  down,  which 
accused  them  before  our  God  day  and  night.  And 
they  overcame  him  by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  and 
by  the  word  of  their  testimony;  and  they  loved 
not  their  lives  unto  the  death.  Therefore  rejoice, 
ye  heavens,  and  ye  that  dwell  in  them.  Woe  to 
the  inhabiters  of  the  earth  and  of  the  sea !  for  the 
devil  is  come  down  unto  you,  having  great  wrath, 
because  he  knoweth  that  he  hath  but  a  short 
time." 

The  victory  wrought  in  heaven  over  Satan  and 
his  angels  wakes  a  note  of  praise  that  echoes  loud 
and  long;  and  to  Christ  and  his  blood  is  ascribed 
all  the  praise  and  virtue  of  this  victory.  The  same 
martyrs,  or  those  like  them,  that  "loved  not  their 
lives  to  the  death,"  are  foremost  in  these  ascrip- 
tions of  praise ;  but  while  heaven  rejoices  because 
Satan  has  been  cast  out,  yet  earth  is  made  sad  by 
his  taking  up  the  fight  among  its  inhabitants.  While 
Christ  by  his  death  and  resurrection  has  come  off 
more  than  conqueror,  yet  his  followers  were  to 
endure  his  temptations  and  feel  the  sting  of  his 
persecutions;  for  "when  the  dragon  saw  that  he 
was  cast  unto  the  earth,  he  persecuted  the  woman 
which  brought  forth  the  man  child.  And  to  the 
woman  were  given  two  wings  of  a  great  eagle,  that 
she  might  fly  into  the  wilderness,  into  her  place, 
where  she  is  nourished  for  a  time,  and  times,  and 
half  a  time,  from  the  face  of  the  serpent.  And  the 
serpent  cast  out  of  his  mouth,  water  as  a  flood 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     229 

after  the  woman,  that  he  might  cause  her  to  be 
carried  away  of  the  flood.  And  the  earth  helped 
the  woman;  and  the  earth  opened  her  mouth, 
and  swallowed  Up  the  flood  which  the  dragon  cast 
out  of  his  mouth.  And  the  dragon  was  wroth 
with  the  woman,  and  went  to  make  war  with  the 
remnant  of  her  seed,  which  keep  the  command- 
ments of  God,  and  have  the  testimony  of  Jesus 
Christ." 

The  victor}*  of  Christ  over  the  devil  is  a  symbol 
of  the  victory  that  his  followers  shall  achieve  in 
these  fierce  persecutions.  This  is  shown  by  the 
two  wings  of  a  great  eagle  given  her.  God  told 
Moses  to  say  to  Israel:  "  Ye  have  seen  what  I  did 
unto  the  Egyptians,  and  how  I  bare  you  on  eagles' 
wings,  and  brought  you  unto  myself/'  God  had 
helped  Israel  to  get  away  from  their  oppressors, 
and  had  borne  them  to  a  place  of  safety.  So  this 
fact  is  used  to  assure  his  people  persecuted  by  the 
dragon  that  he  would  bear  them  on  eagles'  wings 
to  a  place  prepared  for  them.  There  they  are  to 
be  nourished  for  a  time,  and  times,  arid  half  a 
time  from  the  face  of  the  serpent — one  mode  of 
expression  for  three  years  and  a  half,  the  same 
prophetic  time  used  some  five  times  in  this  book  of 
Revelation. 

As  the  woman  fled,  the  "  serpent  cast  out  of 
his  mouth  water  as  a  flood  after  the  woman,  that 
he  might  cause  her  to  be  carried  away  of  the 
flood."  This  is  a  symbol  of  the  multiplied  ene- 
mies that  the  devil  raised  up  against  the  Chris- 


230      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

tians  at  this  time.  So  many  were  their  enemies, 
and  so  persistent  and  wide-spread  their  persecu- 
tions, that- it  looked  as  if  the  struggling  infant 
Church  must  be  overwhelmed  by  them.  "And  the 
earth  helped  the  woman  ;*  and  the  earth  opened 
her  mouth,  and  swallowed  up  the  flood  which  the 
dragon  cast  out  of  his  mouth."  During  the  fierce 
persecutions  of  the  Christians  at  Rome  they  took 
refuge  in  the  catacombs  beneath  the  city.  We  are 
told  that  often  when  the  Christians  were  hotly  pur- 
sued by  their  enemies  they  would  disappear  so 
suddenly,  escaping  into  their  subterranean  retreats, 
known  only  to  themselves,  that  the  officers  thought 
they  had  escaped  by  some  magic.  Thus  the 
earth  helped  the  woman.  The  hate  of  this  dragon 
impelled  him  to  make  war  with  the  remnant  of  her 
seed  which  kept  the  commandments  of  God  and 
have  the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ. 

This  chapter  must  be  looked  upon  as  a  sort  of 
foreshadowing,  in  general,  of  the  revelations  that 
are  to  follow  in  detail.  In  other  words,  it  is  the 
preface  to  the  coming  revelations.  Let  us  bear  in 
mind  in  the  outset  that  the  revelation  is  dealing 
only  with  pagan  Rome  as  it  existed  during  this 
season  of  persecution.  The  symbols  that  begin 
in  chapter  xiii.,  and  end  in  chapter  xix.,  show 
how  the  war  waged  by  the  dragon  against  the  rem- 
nant of  the  woman's  seed  is  carried  on,  and  what 
agencies  are  employed. 

"And  I  stood  upon  the  sand  of  the  sea,  and  saw 
a  beast  rise  up  out  of  the  sea,  having  seven  heads, 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     231 

and  ten  horns,  and  upon  his  horns  ten  crowns, 
and  upon  his  heads  the  name  of  blasphemy.  And 
the  beast  which  I  saw  was  like  unto  a  leopard,  and 
his  feet  were  as  the  feet  of  a  bear,  and  his  mouth 
as  the  mouth  of  a  lion:  and  the  dragon  gave  him 
his  power,  and  his  seat,  and  great  authority.  And 
I  saw  one  of  his  heads  as  it  were  wounded  to  death ; 
and  his  deadly  wound  was  healed:  and  all  the 
world  wondered  after  the  beast.  And  they  wor- 
shiped the  dragon  which  gave  power  unto  the 
beast:  and  they  worshiped  the  beast,  saying, 
Who  is  like  unto  the  beast?  who  is  able  to 
make  war  with  him?  And  there  was  given 
unto  him  a  mouth  speaking  great  things  and 
blasphemies;  and  power  was  given  unto  him  to 
continue  forty  and  two  months.  And  he  opened 
his  mouth  in  blasphemy  against  God,  to  blaspheme 
his  name,  and  his  tabernacle,  and  them  that  dwell 
in  heaven.  And  it  was  given  unto  him  to  make 
war  with  the  saints,  and  to  overcome  them:  and 
power  was  given  him  over  all  kindreds,  and 
tongues,  and  nations.  And  all  that  dwell  upon 
the  earth  shall  worship  him,  whose  names  are  not 
written  in  the  book  of  life  of  the  Lamb  slain  from 
the  foundation  of  the  world.  If  any  man  have  an 
ear,  let  him  hear.  He  that  leadeth  into  captivity 
shall  go  into  captivity:  he  that  killeth  with  the 
sword  must  be  killed  with  the  sword.  Here  is 
the  patience  and  the  faith  of  the  saints." 

This  beast  is  a  symbol  of  the  great  Roman  Em- 
fire.     The  sea  out  of  which  the  beast  rose,  as  ex- 


232      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

plained  by  the  revealing  angel,  is  "  peoples,  and 
multitudes,  and  nations,  and  tongues."  This 
empire  was  formed  out  of  the  various  countries 
and  kingdoms  of  the  civilized  world.  This  is  the 
empire  under  the  Csesars. 

The  seven  heads  are  also  explained  by  the  angel. 
He  says:  "The  seven  heads  are  seven  mountains 
on  which  the  woman  [Rome,  the  capital  city]  sit- 
teth."  It  also  refers  to  "  seven  kings,"  as  we  shall 
see  when  we  reach  the  seventeenth  chapter. 

The  ten  horns  "  are  ten  kings,"  all  of  which  will 
be  explained  and  applied  in  due  time. 

Let  it  be  distinctly  understood  that  this  is  pagan 
Rome  during  the  reign  of  the  Cassars,  and  that  it 
does  not  go  beyond  it.  John  now  sees  the  vision 
as  a  whole,  as  if  the  beast  were  possessed  at  one 
time  of  all  these  heads.  But  we  shall  see  that 
;when  the  symbol  is  explained  at  length,  these 
heads  rise  one  at  a  time.  Every  king,  as  repre- 
sented by  the  seven  heads,  was  a  blasphemer.  To 
each  one  was  ascribed  divine  honors,  and  they 
demanded  and  received  worship  as  a  god. 

The  beast  was  like  a  leopard,  with  feet  like  a 
bear  and  mouth  like  a  lion — three  of  the  most 
terrible  of  wild  beasts,  as  if  the  ferocity  of  all 
were  combined  in  this  one  selected  as  a  symbol 
of  this  great  persecuting  power.  To  this  fero- 
cious beast  the  dragon  gave  his  power — selected 
him  as  his  vicegerent,  the  instrument  for  tearing 
the  Christians  in  the  fury  and  ferocity  of  his  pow- 
er. And  great  authority  for  evil  was  given  him. 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     233 

This  persecuting  power  becomes  the  prime  minis- 
ter of  the  devil. 

One  of  the  heads  of  the  beast  was  wounded  to 
death ;  and  his  deadly  wound  was  healed :  and  all 
the  world  wondered  after  the  beast. 

This  was  the  first  head  that  appeared.  When 
wounded  to  death,  it  was  natural  to  expect  to  see 
the  beast  itself  die.  But  it  did  not,  because  other 
heads  came  in  its  place. 

It  is  well-known  that  the  dynasty  of  Roman 
emperors  was  founded  by  Julius  Cassar.  His 
power  throughout  the  empire  was  supreme;  but, 
when  the  old  elements  of  liberty  began  to  stir  the 
heart  of  the  people,  Cgesar  was  slain.  This  first 
head  received  a  wound  unto  death,  and  the  people 
no  doubt  thought  that  the  empire  would  fall  with 
him;  but  it  did  not.  There  were  other  heads. 
Augustus  was  at  once  advanced  to  the  head  of 
government,  and  the  empire  survived ;  and  all  the 
world  wondered  after  the  beast.  The  dragon  was 
still  at  the  head  of  affairs,  and  if  one  prime  minis- 
ter fell,  he  at  once  advanced  another  to  his  place. 

"And  they  [the  people  of  the  empire]  worshiped 
the  dragon  which  gave  power  unto  the  beast :  and 
they  worshiped  the  beast,  saying,  Who  is  like  unto 
the  beast?  who  is  able  to  make  war  with  him." 

Devil-worship  has  been  often  practiced  by  the 
heathen,  and  we  have  no  doubt  but  that  these 
Romans  did  it.  We  know  that  they  worshiped 
their  standards  and  their  emperors;  and  as  they 
were  put  in  power  by  the  devil,  and  were  the 


234     The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

prime  ministers  of  the  devil,  the  worship  of  them 
was  equivalent  to  the  worship  of  the  devil  him- 
self. 

Gibbon  says:  "The  deification  of  the  emperor 
is  the  only  instance  in  which  they  departed  from 
their  accustomed  prudence  and  modesty."  And 
again:  "The  imperious  spirit  of  the  first  Cassar 
too  easily  consented  to  assume  during  his  life-time 
a  place  among  the  tutelar  deities  of  Rome." 

Of  Caligula,  Taylor  says:  "Finding  no  one 
dare  to  oppose  his  sanguinary  caprice,  he  began 
to  regard  himself  as  something  more  than  a  mere 
mortal,  and  to  claim  divine  honors ;  and  finally  he 
erected  a  temple  to  himself,  and  instituted  a  col- 
lege of  priests  to  superintend  his  own  worship." 
If  the  people  were  so  deceived  as  to  believe  him 
their  god,  no  wonder  they  asked  the  questions: 
"Who  is  like  unto  the  beast?  who  is  able  to  make 
war  with  him?" 

"And  there  was  given  unto  him  a  mouth  speak- 
ing great  things  and  blasphemies ;  and  power  was 
given  unto  him  to  continue  forty  and  two  months. 
And  he  opened  his  mouth  in  blasphemies  against 
God,  to  blaspheme  his  name,  and  his  tabernacle, 
and  them  that  dwell  in  heaven." 

The  dragon  gave  to  him  the  power  to  speak 
great  things  and  blasphemies.  It  is  only  necessary 
to  study  the  power  of  Satan  as  it  appears  in  the 
book  of  Job  to  see  what  he  can  do,  and  what  he  is 
permitted  to  do.  But,  as  in  the  case  of  the  devil 
in  connection  with  Job,  his  power  was  limited,  so 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     235 

this  period  of  persecution  was  "limited  to  the  forty 
and  two  months  so  often  referred  to  in  this  book. 
As  we  have  said,  this  may  have  been  the  exact 
time,  or  it  may  be  used  as  a  definite  for  an  indefi- 
nite period.  But  the  persecutions  referred  to 
lasted  just  about  if  not  exactly  this  time.  No 
blasphemy  is  equal  to  that  of  arrogating  the  hom- 
age and  worship  due  to  God  alone.  This,  as  we 
have  seen,  these  emperors  did;  and  they  blas- 
phemed God's  name,  and  his  tabernacle,  and 
them  that  dwell  in  heaven.  Like  the  King  of 
Babylon,  they  forced  men  to  worship  them,  and 
thus  blasphemed  the  worshipers  of  the  one  true 
God. 

"And  it  was  given  unto  him  to  make  war  with 
the  saints,  and  to  overcome  them:  and  power  was 
given  him  over  all  kindreds,  and  tongues,  and  na- 
tions. And  all  that  dwell  upon  the  earth  shall 
worship  him,  whose  names  are  not  written  in  the 
book  of  life  of  the  Lamb  slain  from  the  foundation 
of  the  world." 

These  Roman  emperors  had  a  world-wide  sway, 
and  they  forced  all  nations  to  adopt  their  religion, 
in  part  at  least.  We  give  an  instance  from  Raw- 
linson  when  writing  of  the  Partheans  and  their 
submission  to  Rome :  "  He  [Artabanus,  their  king] 
was  also  induced  to  throw  a  few  grains  of  frank- 
incense on  the  sacrificial  fire  which  burned  in  front 
of  the  Roman  standards  and  the  imperial  image, 
an  act  which  was  accepted  at  Rome  as  one  of  sub- 
mission  and  homage"  Thus  they  forced  all  na- 


236      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

tions  to  "worship  him,"  but  those  whose  names 
were  in  ' '  the  book  of  life  of  the  Lamb  ' '  were  ex- 
cepted.  No  power  could  force  them  to  worship 
the  beast  or  his  image.  Many  of  then  died  a  mar- 
tyr's death  during  this  period  of  three  and  a  hali 
years,  when  these  deified  emperors  were  trying  to 
force  the  world  to  bow  down  in  homage  to  them  as 
God. 

In  the  letter  to  the  Church  in  Sardis,  referring 
to  this  very  time  when  "  the  devil  shall  cast  some 
of  you  into  prison,  that  ye  may  be  tried,"  the 
promise  is:  "  He  that  overcometh,  the  same  shall 
be  clothed  in  white  raiment,  and  I  will  not  blot  out 
his  name  out  of  the  book  of  life  " 

Here,  now,  is  an  announcement  that  God  wants 
all  to  understand,  and  he  prefaces  it  with  the 
words:  "  If  any  man  have  an  ear,  let  him  hear." 

"He  that  leadeth  into  captivity  shall  go  into 
captivity:  he  that  killeth  with  the  sword  must  be 
killed  with  the  sword.  Here  is  the  patience  and 
the  faith  of  the  saints." 

God  had  his  eye  upon  all  the  persecutions  of  his 
saints.  He  sees  every  hand  that  is  lifted  against 
them,  and  "he  will  requite  a  terrible  retribution 
upon  all  persecutors  in  due  time."  Those  who 
drag  the  Christians  into  captivity  shall  themselves 
be  dragged  into  captivity.  Those  who  kill  the  fol- 
lowers of  Jesus  with  the  sword  shall  themselves  be 
killed  with  the  sword.  "Vengeance  is  mine,  I 
will  repay,  saith  the  Lord;"  and  "it  is  a  fearful 
thing  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Lord."  No  saint 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     237 

need  raise  his  hand  against  his  persecutors,  but 
-patiently  endure,  in  full  faith  of  the  promise  of 
God  that  he  "will  repay."  ««  Here  is  the  patience 
and  the  faith  of  the  saints."  When  this  beast  had 
such  great  power,  and  the  land  was  running  red 
with  the  blood  of  innocent  Christians ;  when  Nero 
was  filling  his  arena  with  them,  and  all  Rome  was 
enjoying  their  destruction ;  when  the  skins  of  wild 
beasts  were  wrapped  around  them,  and  they  were 
worried  to  death  by  dogs ;  when  inflammable  ma- 
terials were  wrapped  about  them,  and  then  set  on 
fire  to  form  walking  torches  to  light  the  scene  of 
an  emperor's  pleasure,  many  had  their  patience 
and  their  faith  tried.  And  they  must  bear  in  mind 
what  was  written:  "He  that  overcometh  shall  not 
be  hurt  of  the  second  death" 

Now  another  beast  appears  upon  the  scene. 

"And  I  beheld  another  beast  coming  up  out  of 
the  earth;  and  he  had  two  horns  like  a  lamb,  and 
he  spake  as  a  dragon.  And  he  exerciseth  all  the 
power  of  the  first  beast  before  him,  and  causeth 
the  earth  and  them  that  dwell  therein  to  worship 
the  first  beast,  whose  deadly  wound  was  healed. 
And  he  doeth  great  wonders,  so  that  he  maketh 
fire  come  down  from  heaven  on  the  earth  in  the 
sight  of  men,  and  deceiveth  them  that  dwell  on  the 
earth  by  the  means  of  those  miracles  which  he  had 
power  to  do  in  the  sight  of  the  beast;  saying  to 
them  that  dwell  on  the  earth,  that  they  should 
make  an  image  to  the  beast,  which  had  the  wound 
by  the  sword,  and  did  live.  And  he  had  power  to 


238      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

give  life  unto  the  image  of  the  beast,  that  the  im- 
age of  the  beast  should  both  speak,  and  cause  that 
as  many  as  would  not  worship  the  image  of  the 
beast  should  be  killed.  And  he  causeth  all,  both 
small  and  great,  rich  and  poor,  free  and  bond,  to 
receive  a  mark  in  their  right  hand,  or  in  their  fore- 
heads: and  that  no  man  might  buy  or  sell,  save 
he  that  had  the  mark,  or  the  name  of  the  beast,  or 
the  number  of  his  name.  Here  is  wisdom.  Let 
him  that  hath  understanding  count  the  number  of 
the  beast:  for  it  is  the  number  of  a  man;  and  his 
number  is  six  hundred  threescore  and  six." 

This  second  beast  came  up  from  the  earth.  He 
is  not  the  creature  of  the  nations,  but  has  a  differ- 
ent origin.  Nor  has  he  a  fierce  appearance  as  the 
first  beast  had.  But  this  is  only  in  appearance, 
for  "  he  exerciseth  all  the  power  of  the  first  beast 
before  him,"  etc.  He  has  two  horns  like  a  lamb. 
He  is  "  a  wolf  in  sheep's  clothing."  Who  is  this 
second  beast?  By  all  his  characteristics,  and  the 
service  he  rendered  the  first  beast,  he  is  a  symbol 
of  the  -pagan  priesthood.  They  were  the  creatures 
of  the  emperor's,  as  we  have  seen.  You  will  re- 
member that  it  is  said  of  Caligula:  "And  finally 
he  erected  a  temple  to  himself,  and  instituted  a 
college  of  priests  to  superintend  his  own  Ivor- 
ship:' 

Very  many  commentators  have  seen  papal  Rome 
in  this  second  beast.  But  this  is  impossible. 
Henry  Cowles,  on  this  point,  says:  "  On  the 
question  whether  this  second  beast  can  be  papal 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     239 

Rome,  it  should  surely  suffice  to  say  that  every 
feature  of  the  description  points  us  to  the  pagan 
priesthood;  that  this  beast  worked  for  the  pagan 
emperor,  as  papal  Rome  certainly  did  not  in  the 
age  of  her  first  seven  emperors,  six  hundred  years 
before  papal  Rome  became  a  well-defined  system, 
and  one  thousand  years  before  she  became  thor- 
oughly a  great  persecuting  power.  Hence  it  is 
entirely  inadmissable  to  find  papal  Rome  in  this 
second  beast.  As  surely  as  this  prophecy  makes 
the  first  beast  and  the  second  contemporaneous 
and  co-working,  and  as  surely  as  history  locates 
the  persecuting  activities  of  the  Seven  Heads  of 
pagan  Rome  on  the  one  hand  and  of  papal  Rome 
on  the  other  one  thousand  years  asunder,  so  sure- 
ly do  the  stubborn  facts  of  history  rule  out  as 
absurd  and  impossible  the  theory  that  this  second 
beast  is  papal  Rome." 

In  every  thing  this  second  beast  is  working  for 
the  first;  and  the  powers  ascribed  to  him  are  just 
such  as  a  priest  of  the  beast  would  perform.  He 
maketh  fire  come  down  from  heaven  on  earth  in 
the  sight  of  men.  Fire  fell  upon  the  sheep  of  Job 
and  burned  them  up.  This  was  the  work  of  the 
devil.  These  were  his  agents,  and  to  them  he 
gives  this  power. 

The  whole  is  a  symbol  of  the  power  that  these 
priests  exercised  over  the  people  in  bringing  them 
to  the  worship  of  the  emperors.  Men  were  ostra- 
cised if  they  did  not  engage  in  this  worship.  No 
one  was  to  sell  to  or  buy  from  any  one  who  had 


240     The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

not  the  mark  of  the  beast  in  his  right  hand  or  in 
his  forehead. 

"  The  ban  of  public  sentiment  fell  on  all  who 
would  not  receive  and  wear  this  mark.  They 
were  ostracised  from  society,  driven  from  the 
market-place,  denied  the  right  to  any  of  the  most 
common  privileges  of  Roman  citizens.  Not  only 
was  the  brand  of  opprobrium  put  on  them,  but  the 
mark  of  Satan's  vengeance." 

God's  people  must  know  the  name  of  the  first 
beast  whose  image  was  set  up  for  their  worship. 
But  there  was  great  danger  in  revealing  this  name. 
Fierce  enough  were  their  persecutions  already; 
and  were  the  emperor's  name  announced,  the  fires 
would  be  kindled  to  a  hotter  flame.  So  it  is  com- 
municated to  them  in  numbers,  and  by  a  system 
with  which  the  wise  were  familiar.  "  Let  him 
that  hath  understanding  count  the  number  of  the 
beast:  for  it  is  the  number  of  a  man;  and  his 
number  is  Six  hundred  threescore  and  six." 

"  The  Hebrews  and  the  Greeks  used  each  their 
own  alphabet  for  numerical  purposes.  In  Hebrew 
the  first  letter  is  one;  the  second,  two,  etc.;  the 
tenth,  ten;  but  the  eleventh  is  twenty;  the  nine- 
teenth is  one  hundred;  the  twentieth,  two  hun- 
dred, etc.  Hence  each  letter  had  a  numerical 
power.  In  our  passage  the  numerical  power  of 
the  name  is  given  to  find  the  name  itself.  A  pre- 
liminary question  will  be  whether  this  name  is  to 
be  spelled  in  Hebrew  letters,  with  their  numerical 
powers,  or  in  Greek  letters.  It  being  manifestly 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     241 

the  intention  of  the  writer  to  put  his  readers  in  the 
way  to  spell  out  the  name,  and  yet  not  to  give  it  so 
plainly  as  to  expose  himself  or  his  brethren  to  per- 
secuting vengeance;  and,  inasmuch  as  his  read- 
ers (some  of  them  being  Jews)  would  have  the 
advantage  of  the  Roman  magistrates  in  decipher- 
ing Hebrew  letters,  it  becomes  antecedently  prob- 
able that  he  would  use  them — supposing  this  name 
to  have  been  written  in  Hebrew  characters  with 
their  known  numerical  power,  and  taking  the 
name  of  Nero  as-  it  appears  often  in  the  Talmud, 
and  in  other  Rabbinical  writings,*  we  shall  have 
as  the  numerical  equivalent  of  these  Hebrew  let- 
ters in  their  order:  50+ 200-}- 6+50;  and  ioo-f6o 
+200=666.  This  result  must  seem  quite  satisfac- 
tory, even  though  it  rested  on  the  mere  fact  that 
these  seven  Hebrew  letters,  by  the  sum  of  their 
numerical  powers,  give  us  precisely  the  well-known 
Hebrew  name  of  Nero.  But  the  proof  that  sus- 
tains the  correctness  of  this  solution  is  greatly 
strengthened  by  another  remarkable  fact.  Let  it 
be  borne  in  mind  that  the  received  Greek  text 
gives  these  three  Greek  letters  (x  £  *)»  pronounced 
chi,  xi,  vau;  and  having  in  their  order  these  nu- 
merical powers,  6oo+6o-j-6=666.  Now  the  fact 
is  brought  out  and  fully  discussed  by  Ireneus,  that 
in  his  day  (A.D.  180)  some  manuscripts  had  a  dif- 
ferent reading  for  the  middle  character — viz.,  not 
£  (xO>  kut  l  (tora)-  He  insists,  however,  that  the 
true  reading  is  XL  (£)•  Can  ^e  otner  reading  be 


242      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

accounted  for?  It  can,  most  readily.  There  was 
a  second  mode  of  spelling  the  name  Nero  in  He- 
brew— viz.,  by  writing  it  not  Neron,  but  Nero 
— /.  e.,  omitting  the  final  (n).  The  numerical 
power  of  n  is  fifty.  Strike  off  this  final  letter  re- 
duces the  sum  total  of  the  number  of  his  name 
from  666  to  616;  and  to  write  this  amount  in  three 
Greek  letters  we  must  change  the  middle  one  as 
they  stand  in  our  text  from  (xO  to  (tora) — /'.  e., 
from  the  letter  which  means  60  to  the  letter  which 
means  10.  Precisely  this  is  the  change  which  ap- 
pears in  the  different  reading  of  which  Ireneus 
speaks.  Hence  it  becomes  substantially  certain 
that  the  *  number  of  the  beast '  was  understood  by 
some  at  least  before  the  age  of  Ireneus;  certain 
also  that  they  read  in  this  number  the  name  of 
Nero  Caesar;  certain  also  that  there  being  a  sec- 
ond way  of  writing  his  name  (/.  e.,  Nero  rather 
than  Neron),  the  change  was  made  in  the  text 
which  this  other  spelling  of  the  name  would  re- 
quire. This  double  coincidence  is  of  the  sort 
which  could  not  occur  by  chance,  and  without  a 
foundation  in  truth,  one  time  in  ten  thousand.  It 
amounts,  therefore,  practically  to  a  demonstra- 
tion. "  (H.  Cowles.) 

This  settles  the  fact  that  the  book  was  written 
during  the  reign  of  Nero,  and  that  if  he  was  the 
sixth  head,  or  emperor,  the  seven  heads  represent 
pagan  Rome,  and  nothing  else;  and  that  the  early 
Christians  so  regarded  it  the  testimony  of  Ireneus 
in  the  above  quotation  proves.  He  lived  very  near 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.      243 

the  time  in  which  the  book  was  written,  and  those 
of  his  day  spelled  out  the  name  of  Nero  with  the 
"number  of  his  name"  as  given  in  the  book. 
This  number  has  been  forced  to  spell  a  great  many 
names,  but  this  answers  to  every  feature  of  the 
symbol,  and  harmonizes  with  all  other  parts  of  the 
book.  Therefore  it  must  be  the  correct  name. 
Now  as  the  Church  is  assailed  by  such  formidable 
foes,  it  is  necessary  to  present  the  protector  of  the 
Church. 

"And  I  looked,  and,  lo,  a  Lamb  stood  on  the 
Mount  Sion,  and  with  him  a  hundred  forty  and 
four  thousand,  having  his  Father's  name  written  in 
their  foreheads.  And  I  heard  a  voice  from  heav- 
en, as  the  voice  of  many  waters,  and  as  the  voice 
of  a  great  thunder:  and  I  heard  the  voice  of  harp- 
ers harping  with  their  harps:  and  they  sung  as 
it  were,  a  new  song  before  the  throne,  and  before 
the  four  living  creatures,  and  the  elders:  and  no 
man  could  learn  that  song  but  the  hundred  and 
forty  and  four  thousand  which  were  redeemed 
from  the  earth.  These  are  they  which  were  not 
defiled  with  women;  for  they  are  virgins.  These 
are  they  which  follow  the  Lamb  whithersoever  he 
goeth.  These  were  redeemed  from  among  men, 
being  the  first-fruits  unto  God  and  to  the  Lamb. 
And  in  their  mouth  was  found  no  guile :  for  they 
are  without  fault  before  the  throne  of  God." 

This  Lamb  of  course  is  Jesus  Christ,  and  the 
company  with  him  are  Jews,"  being  the  first-fruits 
unto  God  and  to  the  Lamb ; ' '  and  hence  they  are 


244     The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

taken  as  samples  of  the  whole.  "  If  the  first-fruit 
be  holy  the  lump  is  also  holy."  The  Lord  is  their 
shepherd;  they  follow  him  whithersoever  he  goeth. 
He  is  their  protector,  their  friend,  and  they  sound 
his  praises.  It  is  the  song  of  victory. 

1  'And  I  saw  another  angel  fly  in  the  midst  of 
heaven,  having  the  everlasting  gospel  to  preach 
unto  them  that  dwell  on  the  earth,  and  to  every  na- 
tion, and  kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people,  saying 
with  a  loud  voice,  Fear  God,  and  give  glory  to  him ; 
for  the  hour  of  his  judgment  is  come :  and  worship 
him  that  made  heaven,  and  earth,  and  the  sea,  and 
the  fountains  of  water." 

God  never  strikes  without  a  warning,  and  without 
giving  an  opportunity  to  repent.  The  hour  to  strike 
down  pagan  Rome  as  a  great  persecuting  power 
has  come,  and  the  angel  proclaims  the  gospel,  and 
calls  upon  men  to  fear  God  and  give  glory  to  him. 
This  angel  is  merely  a  symbol  of  God's  faithful 
ministers  that  were  lifting  up  their  voices  to  them 
that  dwelt  upon  the  earth — every  nation,  kindred, 
tongue,  and  people.  The  gospel,  the  everlasting 
gospel,  was  preached  everywhere;  and  if  men 
would  not  hear  and  heed  it,  it  was  their  own  fault, 
and  they  must  perish  in  their  sins. 

"And  there  followed  another  angel,  saying,  Bab- 
ylon is  fallen,  is  fallen,  that  great  city,  because 
she  made  all  nations  drink  of  the  wine  of  the  wrath 
of  her  fornication." 

The  term  Babylon  here  is  used  for  Rome,  as 
Sodom  is  used  for  Jerusalem.  Fornication  when 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     245 

used  as  here  means  idolatry.  Rome  had  forced 
her  idolatry  upon  all  the  nations  of  the  earth.  She 
had  made  all  nations  drink  of  the  wine  of  the 
wrath  of  her  fornication ;  and  now  God  was  ready 
to  punish  her,  and  this  angel  is  commissioned  to 
declare  her  fall. 

"And  the  third  angel  followed  them,  saying  with 
a  loud  voice,  If  any  man  worship  the  beast  and  his 
image,  and  receive  his  mark  in  his  forehead,  or  in 
his  hand,  the  same  shall  drink  of  the  wine  of  the 
wrath  of  God,  which  is  poured  out  without  mixture 
into  the  cup  of  his  indignation;  and  he  shall  be 
tormented  with  fire  and  brimstone  in  the  presence 
of  the  holy  angels,  and  in  the  presence  of  the 
Lamb :  and  the  smoke  of  their  torment  ascendeth 
up  forever  and  ever:  and  they  have  no  rest  day  nor 
night,  who  worship  the  beast  and  his  image,  and 
whosoever  receiveth  the  mark  of  his  name.  Here 
is  the  patience  of  the  saints :  here  are  they  that 
keep  the  commandments  of  God,  and  the  faith  of 
Jesus." 

Here  the  line  is  clearly  drawn.  Babylon  (Rome) 
had  made  all  nations  drink  of  the  wine  of  her  for- 
nications, and  to  all  such  God  would- press  the  cup 
of  his  indignation,  poured  out  without  mixture; 
and,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Jews,  the  smoke  of  their 
torment  ascendeth  up  forever.  "And  they  have 
no  rest  day  nor  night."  This  is  a  symbol  to  show 
that  the  overthrow  of  this  great  persecuting  power 
is  to  be  as  a  standing  monument  of  God's  wrath 
and  indignation  against  sin.  As  God  dealt  with 


246      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

them  so  will  he  deal  with  like  sinners  in  all  times. 
Let  God's  saints  patiently  wait  on  God,  who  has 
said:  " Vengeance  is  mine;  I  will  repay."  He 
knows  when  to  strike,  and  just  how  hard.  He 
may  seem  slow  in  his  movements,  especially  to 
those  suffering  persecution  and  enduring  trial,  but 
let  patience  have  her  perfect  work.  God  is  not 
forgetful  of  his  saints,  nor  unmindful  of  their 
rights. 

"And  I  heard  a  voice  from  heaven  saying  unto 
me,  Write,  Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the 
Lord  from  henceforth:  yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that 
they  may  rest  from  their  labors;  and  their  works 
do  follow  them." 

Those  who  die  in  the  Lord  under  these  persecu- 
tions need  not  be  troubled.  God  will  remember 
them  too.  They  shall  rest  from  their  labors;  and, 
like  the  souls  under  the  altar,  God  will  hear  their 
prayers,  and  they  too  shall  be  avenged  of  their  ad- 
versaries. 

"And  I  looked,  and  behold  a  white  cloud,  and 
upon  the  cloud  one  sat  like  unto  the  Son  of  man, 
having  on  his  head  a  golden  crown,  and  in  his 
hand  a  sharp  sickle.  And  another  angel  came  out 
of  the  temple,  crying  with  a  loud  voice  to  him  that 
sat  on  the  cloud,  Thrust  in  thy  sickle,  and  reap: 
for  the  time  is  come  for  thee  to  reap ;  for  the  har- 
vest of  the  earth  is  ripe.  And  he  that  sat  on  the 
cloud  thrust  in  his  sickle  on  the  earth;  and  the 
earth  was  reaped." 

This  was  Jesus  Christ,  who  had  come  for  the 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     247 

destruction  of  these  persecutors  of  his  people. 
The  symbol  of  his  appearing  on  a  cloud  is  a  fa- 
miliar one.  In  Matthew  Jesus,  when  speaking  of 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  said:  ''And  they 
shall  see  the  Son  of  man  coming  in  the  clouds  of 
heaven  with  power  and  great  glory."  And  again 
to  Caiaphas:  "Hereafter  shall  ye  see  the  Son  of 
man  sitting  on  the  right  hand  of  power,  and  com- 
ing in  the  clouds  of  heaven." 

Pagan  Rome  was  ripe  for  punishment,  and  Jesus 
was  to  do  the  awful  work.  It  is  represented  in 
the  symbol  as  a  field  fully  ripe  for  the  harvest,  and 
Jesus  with  a  sharp  sickle  in  his  hand  ready  to  reap. 
At  the  cry  of  the  angel  wfro  came  out  of  the  tem- 
ple, the  Son  of  man  thrusts  in  his  sickle,  and  the 
earth  is  reaped.  To  make  it  doubly  impressive, 
"  another  angel  came  out  of  the  temple  which  is  in 
heaven,  he  also  having  a  sharp  sickle.  And  an- 
other angel  came  out  from  the  altar,  which  had  pow- 
er over  fire ;  and  cried  with  a  loud  cry  to  him  that 
had  the  sharp  sickle,  saying,  Thrust  in  thy  sharp 
sickle,  and  gather  the  clusters  of  the  vine  of  the 
earth;  for  her  grapes  are  fully  ripe.  And  the  an- 
gel thrust  in  his  sickle  into  the  earth,  and  gathered 
the  vine  of  the  earth,  and  cast  it  into  the  great 
wine-press  of  the  wrath  of  God.  And  the  wine- 
press was  trodden  without  the  city,  and  blood  came 
out  of  the  wine-press,  even  unto  the  horse  bridles, 
by  the  space  of  a  thousand  and  six  hundred  fur- 
longs." 

As  the  symbol  was  doubled  in  Pharaoh's  dream 


248      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

— first  the  kine,  and  then  the  ears  of  corn — and  as 
Joseph  said  unto  him,  ''the  dream  was  doubled 
unto  Pharaoh  twice ;  it  is  because  the  thing  is  es- 
tablished by  God,  and  God  will  shortly  bring  it  to 
pass;  "  so  in  this  case  the  thing  was  doubled,  first 
under  the  symbol  of  a  harvest,  and  then  of  the 
vintage. 

Isaiah,  in  speaking  of  the  day  of  God's  venge- 
ance, represents  Christ  as  coming  from  Edom 
with  dyed  garments  from  Bozrah,  and  the  ques- 
tion is  asked:  "Wherefore  art  thou  red  in  thine 
apparel,  and  thy  garments  like  him  that  treadeth 
in  the  wine-fat?"  And  the  answer  comes:  "I 
have  trodden  the  winerpress  alone;  and  of  the 
people  there  was  none  with  me:  for  I  will  tread 
them  in  mine  anger,  and  trample  them  in  my  fury; 
and  their  blood  shall  be  sprinkled  upon  my  gar- 
ments, and  I  will  stain  all  my  raiment." 

The  thousand  and  six  hundred  furlongs  (200 
miles)  is  approximately  the  length  of  Italy,  the 
peninsular  of  which  Rome  is  the  great  central  city. 
The  thought  is  that  the  land  shall  be  deluged  with 
blood,  not  that  literally  the  blood  should  be  to  the 
horses'  bridles.  We  must  remember  that  this  is  a 
strong  symbol,  indicating  that  when  the  judgments 
of  God  should  fall  upon  the  land  blood  should  flow 
from  one  end  of  the  land  to  the  other.  "The  his- 
torians who  have  written  of  the  decline  and  fall  of 
the  old  Roman  empire  have  unconsciously  written 
the  fulfillment  of  these  wonderful  prophecies." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

The  Seven  Golden  Vials — Unclean  Spirits  Like  Frogs — Prepa- 
ration for  the  Great  Battle— Judgment  of  the  Great  Whore, 
and  Who  She  Is — The  Joy  over  the  Fall  of  Babylon — The 
King  of  Kings  and  His  Armies — The  Fowls  Summoned  to 
the  Great  Supper — The  Beast  and  the  False  Prophet  Cast 
into  the  Lake  of  Fire— The  Dragon  Cast  into  the  Pit— The 
Millenium — The  Judgment-day. 

AS  in  the  case  of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem, 
the  first  great  persecuting  power,  the  grand 
scene  was  first  presented  as  a  whole,  and  then,  in 
after  visions,  the  details  are  given  under  the  seals 
and  the  trumpets;  so  in  the  destruction  of  pagan 
Rome,  the  second  great  persecuting  power,  the 
scene  has  been  presented  as  a  whole,  and  now 
comes  this  same  scene  in  detail. 

"And  I  saw  another  sign  in  heaven,  great  and 
marvelous,  seven  angels  having  the  seven  last 
plagues;  for  in  them  is  filled  up  the  wrath  of  God. 
And  I  saw  as  it  were  a  sea  of  glass  mingled  with 
fire :  and  them  that  had  gotten  the  victory  over  the 
beast,  and  over  his  image,  and  over  his  mark,  and 
over  the  number  of  his  name,  stand  on  the  sea  of 
glass,  having  the  harps  of  God.  And  they  sing 
the  song  of  Moses  the  servant  of  God,  and  the 
song  of  the  Lamb,  saying,  Great  and  marvelous 
are  thy  works,  Lord  God  Almighty;  just  and  true 
are  thy  ways,  thou  King  of  saints.  Who  shall  not 
fear  thee,  O  Lord,  and  glorify  thy  name?  for  thou 

(249) 


250      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

only  art  holy:  for  all  nations  shall  come  and  wor- 
ship before  thee ;  for  thy  judgments  are  made  man- 
ifest. And  after  that  I  looked,  and,  behold,  the 
temple  of  the  tabernacle  of  the  testimony  in  heaven 
was  opened:  and  the  seven  angels  came  out  of  the 
temple,  having  the  seven  plagues,  clothed  in  pure 
and  white  linen,  and  having  their  breasts  girded 
with  golden  girdles.  And  one  of  the  four  living 
creatures  gave  unto  the  seven  angels  seven  golden 
vials  full  of  the  wrath  of  God,  who  liveth  forever 
and  ever.  And  the  temple  was  filled  with  smoke 
from  the  glory  of  God,  and  from  his  power;  and 
no  man  was  able  to  enter  into  the  temple,  till  the 
seven  plagues  of  the  seven  angels  were  fulfilled." 
Thus  the  whole  scene  is  placed  before  the  seer. 
The  seven  angels  appear,  having  the  seven  last 
plagues ;  then  the  saints  that  had  gotten  the  vic- 
tory over  the  beast,  standing  on  a  sea  of  glass, 
with  their  harps,  and  they  strike  the  prelude  in 
anticipation  of  the  grand  victory  to  be  accom- 
plished when  these  seven  angels  shall  pour  out 
their  vials  upon  the  earth.  They  praise  the  right- 
eousness of  God  in  the  acts  he  is  about  to  per- 
form. Then  the  temple  doors  are  thrown  open, 
and  the  seven  angels  come  out,  having  the  seven 
plagues,  clothed  in  pure  and  white  linen,  and  hav- 
ing their  breasts  girded  with  golden  girdles.  Then 
one  of  the  four  living  creatures  gives  to  these  an- 
gels seven  golden  vials  full  of  the  wrath  of  God. 
All  this  is  preparatory;  and,  as  when  God  accept- 
ed the  temple  dedicated  by  Solomon,  and  filled  it 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     251 

with  his  glory,  "  so  that  the  priests  could  not  stand 
to  minister  because  of  the  cloud :  for  the  glory  of 
the  Lord  had  filled  the  house  of  the  Lord,"  so  as 
a  manifestation  of  God's  acknowledgment  of  the 
righteous  act  of  his  Son  in  preparing  to  pour  out 
these  vials  of  his  wrath  upon  the  earth. 

"The  temple  was  filled  with  smoke  from  the 
glory  of  God,  and  from  his  power;  and  no  man 
was  able  to  enter  into  the  temple,  till  the  seven 
plagues  of  the  seven  angels  were  fulfilled." 

Every  thing  is  now  ready. 

"And  I  heard  a  great  voice  out  of  the  temple 
saying  to  the  seven  angels,  Go  your  ways,  and 
pour  out  the  vials  of  the  wrath  of  God  upon  the 
earth.  And  the  first  went,  and  poured  out  his  vial 
upon  the  earth;  and  there  fell  a  noisome  and 
grievous  sore  upon  the  men  which  had  the  mark 
of  the  beast,  and  upon  them  which  worshiped  his 
image." 

The  effect  of  these  vials  is  almost  identical  with 
the  effect  of  the  sounding  of  the  seven  trumpets  at 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem.  Wrath  fell  upon  the 
earth,  affecting  only  those  men  which  had  the  mark 
of  the  beast,  and  upon  them  which  worshiped  his 
image. 

"And  the  second  angel  poured  out  his  vial  upon 
the  sea ;  and  it  became  as  the  blood  of  a  dead  man : 
and  every  living  soul  died -in  the  sea." 

At  the  sound  of  the  trumpet  of  the  second  angel 
a  burning  mountain  was  cast  into  the  sea,  making 
the  third  part  of  the  sea  blood,  destroying  the 


252      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

third  part  of  the  creatures  in  the  sea  that  had  life. 
Here  the  vial  is  poured  into  the  sea,  and  the  whole 
sea  becomes  as  the  blood  of  a  dead  man,  and  every 
living  soul  in  the  sea  died.  The  judgments  of  God 
fell  not  only  on  the  men  on  the  land,  but  all  who 
belonged  to  Rome  that  were  upon  the  sea.  No 
enemy  of  God  and  his  children  was  to  escape, 
whether  on  land  or  sea. 

We  need,  in  no  age  of  the  world,  look  for  a  lit- 
eral changing -of  the  sea  into  blood.  But  this  is 
symbolical  of  the  awful  carnage  that  should  sweep 
the  sea  as  well  as  the  land  when  God  poured  out 
the  vials  of  his  wrath  upon  these  guilty,  blood- 
thirsty idolaters.  Their  punishment  might  not 
have  been  so  great  had  they  worshiped  their  em- 
peror and  his  image  alone.  But  when  they 
"caused  that  as  many  as  would  not  worship  the 
image  of  the  beast  should  be  killed;  and  caused 
all,  both  small  and  great,  rich  and  poor,  free  and 
bond,  to  receive  a  mark  in  their  right  hand,  or  in 
their  foreheads,"  then  they  deserved  and  received 
at  the  hands  of  a  just  and  righteous  God  the  full 
measure  of  punishment.  Every  soul  stained  with 
the  blood  of  the  saints  must  bleed  and  die,  whether 
on  land  or  sea. 

"And  the  third  angel  poured  out  his  vial  upon 
the  rivers  and  fountains  of  waters;  and  they  be- 
came blood.  And  I  heard  the  angel  of  the  waters 
say,  Thou  art  righteous,  O  Lord,  which  art,  and 
wast,  and  shalt  be,  because  thou  hast  judged  thus. 
For  they  have  shed  the  blood  of  saints  and  proph- 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     253 

ets,  and  thou  hast  given  them  blood  to  drink;  for 
they  are  worthy.  And  I  heard  another  out  of  the 
altar  say,  Even  so,  Lord  God  Almighty,  true  and 
righteous  are  thy  judgments." 

In  the  former  vision  the  "  star  called  Wormwood 
fell  upon  the  third  part  of  the  rivers,  and  upon  the 
fountains  of  waters,"  making  them  bitter.  Here 
the  angel  pours  his  vial  upon  the  rivers  and  fount- 
ains of  water,  and  they  become  blood.  The  great 
law  of  retaliation  comes  in  here:  "  With  what 
measure  ye  mete,  it  shall  be  measured  to  you 
again."  These  had  shed  the  blood  of  saints  and 
prophets,  and  now  they  must  drink  blood.  That 
this  retribution  is  the  work  of  God  is  announced 
by  the  voice  heard  from  the  altar,  saying:  "  Even 
so,  Lord  God  Almighty,  true  and  righteous  are  thy 
judgments."  It  is  at  the  altar  that  men  pray. 
Here  was  seen  the  souls  of  the  martyrs  crying: 
"  How  long,  O  Lord,  holy  and  true,  doest  thou 
not  judge  and  avenge  our  blood  on  them  that 
dwell  on  the  earth."  When  these  see  the  right- 
eous judgment  of  God  upon  their  adversaries,  they 
acknowledge  it. 

"And  the  fourth  angel  poured  out  his  vial  upon 
the  sun;  and  power  was  given  unto  him  to  scorch 
men  with  fire.  And  men  were  scorched  with  great 
heat,  and  blasphemed  the  name  of  God,  which  had 
power  over  these  plagues :  and  they  repented  not 
to  give  him  glory." 

When  the  fourth  angel  sounded,  "the  third  part 
of  the  sun  was  smitten,"  etc.  So  here  the  vial  is 


254      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

poured  upon  the  sun.  This  causes  great  suffering. 
As  they  are  scorched  by  the  intense  heat  of  the 
sun  they  writhe  in  pain  and  blaspheme  the  God 
who  has  this  power,  instead  of  repenting. 

"And  the  fifth  angel  poured  out  his  vial  upon 
the  seat  of  the  beast;  and  his  kingdom  was  full  of 
darkness;  and  they  gnawed  their  tongues  for  pain, 
and  blasphemed  the  God  of  heaven  because  of 
their  pains  and  their  sores,  and  repented  not  of 
their  deeds." 

Here  the  judgments  fall  upon  the  throne  of  the 
emperor,  filling  his  kingdom  with  darkness.  The 
head  of  this  mighty  empire,  instead  of  saving  his 
people  from  their  punishments  and  calamities,  is 
himself  involved,  and  knows  no  way  of  escape  or 
deliverance. 

"And  the  sixth  angel  poured  out  his  vial  on  the 
great  river  Euphrates ;  and  the  water  thereof  was 
dried  up,  that  the  way  of  the  kings  of  the  east 
might  be  prepared." 

The  Parthians,  who  lived  beyond  the  Euphrates, 
were  the  first  enemy  that  ever  struck  Rome  a  fatal 
blow.  Gibbon  tells  us  that  "these  armies,  both  of 
light  and  heavy  cavalry,  equally  formidable  by  the 
impetuosity  of  their  charge  and  the  rapidity  of 
their  motions,  threatened  as  an  impending  cloud 
the  eastern  provinces  of  the  declining  empire  of 
Rome."  The  symbol  of  drying  up  the  great  river 
Euphrates  that  these  kings  of  the  East  might  cross 
easily  and  come  against  Rome  is  very  expressive. 
As  in  the  case  of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem, 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     255 

every  part  of  these  symbols  apply  in  the  destruc- 
tion of  pagan  Rome. 

"And  I  saw  three  unclean  spirits  like  frogs  come 
out  of  the  mouth  of  the  dragon,  and  out  of  the 
mouth  of  the  beast,  and  out  of  the  mouth  of  the 
false  prophet.  For  they  are  the  spirits  of  devils, 
working  miracles,  which  go  forth  unto  the  kings 
of  the  earth  and  the  whole  world,  to  gather  them 
to  the  battle  of  that  great  day  of  God  Almighty." 

We  have  a  most  important  pointer  in  this  pas- 
sage. The  dragon  and  the  first  beast  that  came  up 
out  of  the  sea  is  mentioned  by  the  same  terms  by 
which  they  were  introduced  to  us:  but  the  beast 
that  came  up  out  of  the  earth,  "  having  two  horns 
like  a  lamb,  and  who  spake  as  a  dragon, "  is  called 
"the  false  prophet."  As  we  have  said,  this  beast 
was  a  symbol  of  the  pagan  priesthood — false 
prophet.  The  influence  of  these  three — the  devil, 
the  deified  emperor,  and  the  priest  of  idolatry — 
combine  in  their  work  of  prostituting  the  world  to 
idolatry.  As  we  have  seen,  they  forced  all  the  na- 
tions subdued  by  them  to  adopt  their  religion. 
The  unclean  spirits  like  frogs  that  came  out  of 
their  mouths  are  symbols  of  that  influence  exerted 
over  the  kings  of  the  earth  to  draw  them  into  idol- 
atry and  into  persecuting  the  saints,  and  thus  lead- 
ing them  to  their  ruin,  expressed  by  the  "  battle  of 
that  great  day  of  God  Almighty."  "Behold,  I 
come  as  a  thief.  Blessed  is  he  that  watcheth,  and 
keepeth  his  garments,  lest  he  walk  naked,  and  they 
see  his  shame." 


256      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

The  great  battle  is  about  to  be  fought,  and  a 
warning  voice  is  lifted  to  the  saints.  God  is  com- 
ing. His  army  is  marshaling  for  the  great  charge. 
But  his  coming  shall  be  all  unexpected,  like  the 
coming  of  a  thief.  His  watchful  servants  shall 
never  be  hurt.  So  all  are  warned. 

"And  he  gathered  them  together  into  a  place 
called  in  the  Hebrew  tongue  Armageddon." 

That  is,  the  kings  of  the  earth  gathered  at  Ar- 
mageddon —  that  is,  the  heights  of  Megiddo. 
"  This  was  a  place  famed  for  battle  and  slaughter, 
where  a  host  of  Canaanites  fell  before  Deborah  and 
Barak;  and  where  the  good  Josiah  was  mortally 
wounded  in  battle  with  Pharaoh  Necho,  a  scene 
which  became  the  more  memorable  because  of  the 
great  mourning  over  the  fall  of  Josiah  to  which 
Zechariah  alludes.  The  significance  here  is  essen- 
tially a  place  of  immense  slaughter.  There  the 
Almighty  meets  them  in  terrible  retribution." 

It  is  not  that  they  are  to  meet  actually  on  the 
heights  of  Megiddo,  or  Armageddon,  but  this  field 
is  a  symbol  of  the  place  of  slaughter.  It  was  no 
one  battle,  but  these  kings  and  their  armies  were 
slaughtered  all  over  the  Roman  empire.  In  mad- 
ness and  in  fury  army  was  dashed  against  army, 
and  whole  hecatombs  of  victims  were  piled  in  every 
direction,  as  Rome  tottered  to  her  final  fall.  The 
description  of  the  final  scene  goes  on. 

"And  the  seventh  angel  poured  out  his  vial  into 
the  air;  and  there  came  a  great  voice  out  of  the 
temple  of  heaven,  from  the  throne,  saying,  It  is 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     257 

done.  And  there  were  voices,  and  thunders,  and 
lightnings ;  and  there  was  a  great  earthquake,  such 
as  was  not  since  men  were  upon  the  earth,  so 
mighty  an  earthquake,  and  so  great." 

The  pouring  out  of  this  vial  of  the  seventh  angel 
reminds  us  of  the  seventh  trumpet.  The  very  ar- 
tillery of  heaven  was  turned  loose.  The  voices  of 
the  mighty  hosts  of  the  sky  are  heard  as  they  rush 
to  the  fray,  while  the  solid  earth  trembles  in  the 
throes  of  an  earthquake  at  the  shock  of  battle. 
The  mightiest  empire  ever  erected  on  earth  was 
going  down  on  the  red  field,  where  the  old  serpent, 
the  devil,  and  Satan,  with  kings  of  the  earth,  and 
all  the  angels' of  darkness,  were  arrayed  on  the  one 
side ;  and  Christ,  followed  by  the  armies  of  heav- 
en, was  on  the  other. 

"And  the  great  city  was  divided  into  three  parts, 
and  the  cities  of  the  nation  fell:  and  great  Baby- 
lon came  in  remembrance  before  God,  to  give  unto 
her  the  cup  of  the  wine  of  the  fierceness  of  his 
wrath." 

Babylon,  or  Rome,  was  divided.  Internal  dis- 
cords tore  this  capital  city  of  the  nations  into  parts, 
thus  destroying  her  own  strength.  "  The  cities  of 
the  nations,"  represented  by  the  ten  horns  in  the 
vision  of  the  beast  that  came  up  out  of  the  sea,  fell. 
They  were  all  on  this  Armageddon,  and  they  must 
all  share  the  same  fate.  But  Rome  is  especially 
remembered,  and  the  "  cup  of  the  wine  of  the 
fierceness  of  his  wrath  "  is  given  to  her.  She  suf- 
fers more  than  they  all. 
17 


258      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

"And  every  island  fled  away,  and  the  mountains 
were  not  found." 

No  hiding-places  were  left  for  the  flying  armies 
of  this  doomed  nation,  neither  on  sea  or  land. 

"And  there  fell  upon  men  a  great  hail  out  of 
heaven,  every  stone  about  the  weight  of  a  talent: 
and  men  blasphemed  God  because  of  the  plague 
of  the  hail ;  for  the  plague  thereof  was  exceeding 
great/' 

Not  that  there  was  a  real  hail,  but  this  is  sym- 
bolic of  the  fierce  judgments  of  God  that  fell  upon 
them  on  this  great  day  of  his  wrath.  The  allusion 
is  to  the  day  when  Joshua  fought  against  the  Ca- 
naanites,  and  "the  Lord  cast  down  great  stones 
from  heaven  upon  them."  A  Jewish  talent  was 
estimated  at  114  pounds.  Hailstones  of  such 
weight  would  fall  like  balls  and  bombs  from  a  bat- 
tery. The  vial  poured  upon  the  air  filled  the  very 
heavens  with  destruction.  God's  hand  was  against 
all  these  nations,  with  Rome,  the  spiritual  Babylon, 
as  the  center. 

We  have  seen  that  the  revealing  spirit  in  the  case 
of  Jerusalem  dropped  the  symbolic  sufficiently  to 
let  all  know  what  city  it  was,  when  it  told  of  the 
"two  witnesses  "  whose  dead  bodies  were  exposed 
in  the  streets  of  the  great  city  which  spiritually  is 
called  Sodom  and  Egypt,  'where  also  our  Lord  was 
crucified.  Nothing  could  be  plainer  than  this. 
Isaiah  in  the  first  chapter  of  his  prophecy  calls  Je- 
rusalem Sodom,  and  here  only  of  all  the  cities  of 
earth  was  our  Lord  crucified.  And  now  the  same 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     259 

revealing  spirit,  dealing  with  the  second  great  per- 
secuting power,  points  out  with  equal  precision  the 
city  of  Rome  and  her  emperors,  doing  all  but  nam- 
ing Nero  as  the  one  reigning  at  the  time  this  book 
was  written.  The  seventeenth  chapter  is  invalua- 
ble in  fixing  the  place  of  these  predictions. 

"And  there  came  one  of  the  seven  angels  which 
had  the  seven   vials,  and  talked  with  me,  saying 
unto  me,  Come  hither;   I  will  show  unto  thee  the 
judgment  of  the  great  whore  that  sitteth  upon  many 
waters;   with  whom  -the  kings  of  the  earth  have 
committed  fornication,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the 
earth  have  been  made  drunk  with  the  wine  of  her 
fornication.     So  he  carried  me  away  in  the  spirit 
into  the  wilderness :    and  I  saw  a  woman  sit  upon 
a  scarlet-colored  beast,  full  of  names  of  blasphemy, 
having  seven  heads  and  ten  horns.    And  the  woman 
was  arrayed  in  purple  and  scarlet  color,  and  decked 
with  gold  and  precious  stones  and  pearls,  having  a 
golden  cup  in  her  hand  full  of  abominations  and 
filthiness  of  her  fornication:   and  upon  her  fore- 
head was  a    name  written,    MYSTERY,   BAB- 
YLON  THE    GREAT,   THE    MOTHER   OF 
HARLOTS  AND  ABOMINATIONS  OF  THE 
EARTH.     And  I  saw  the  woman  drunken  with 
the  blood  of  the  saints,  and  with  the  blood  of  the 
martyrs  of  Jesus:  and  when  I  saw  her,  I  wondered 
with  great  admiration.     And  the  angel  said  unto 
me,  Wherefore  didst  thou  marvel?    I  will  tell  thee 
the  mystery  of  the  woman,  and  of  the  beast  that 
carrieth  her,  which  hath  the  seven  heads  and  ten 


260      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

horns.  The  beast  that  thou  sawest  was,  and  is  not; 
and  shall  ascend  out  of  the  bottomless  pit,  and  go 
into  perdition:  and  they  that  dwell  on  the  earth 
shall  wonder,  whose  names  were  not  written  in  the 
book  of  life  from  the  foundation  of  the  world, 
when  they  behold  the  beast  that  was,  and  is  not, 
and  yet  is." 

One  of  the  seven  angels  which  had  the  seven 
vials  came  to  show  John  the  great  mystery.  None 
knew  better  than  he,  and  John  could  not  have  had 
a  better  instructor.  He  promises  to  show  him 
"  the  judgment  of  the  great  whore  that  sitteth  upon 
many  waters."  The  "  many  waters  "  is  explained 
subsequently  to  be  "  peoples,  and  multitudes,  and 
nations,  and  tongues."  The  Roman  Empire  was 
composed  of  many  nations.  She  had  taken  into 
her  folds  nations  in  Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa. 
Never  in  the  history  of  the  world  were  there  so 
many  nations  acknowledging  the  same  scepter  as 
that  held  by  the  Caesars  at  Rome ;  and  never  was 
there  a  more  systematic,  persistent,  and  successful 
effort  made  by  any  rulers  to  force  their  religion 
upon  people  subdued  by  them.  They  put  their 
gods  upon  theirvictorious  standards,  and  compelled 
worship  wherever  they  went.  These  standards 
were  characterized  by  Daniel  and  indorsed  by 
Jesus  as  "  the  abomination  of  desolation;  "  so  that 
it  was  truly  said  that  "the  kings  of  the  earth  had 
committed  fornication  with  her,  and  the  inhabitants 
of  the  earth  had  been  made  drunk  with  the  wine 
of  her  fornication." 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     261 

"  *  Fornication,'  in  the  sense  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment prophets,  is  idolatry.  This  great  harlot 
(Rome)  had  been  intensely  idolatrous;  had 
wrought  her  religion  into  the  very  frame-work  of 
her  civil  institutions  and  her  fundamental  law.  In 
the  period  of  her  history  here  contemplated  this 
abomination  became  even  more  open  and  outra- 
geous than  ever  before,  by  the  deification  of  her 
emperors  and  the  demand  set  up  that  they  should 
be  worshiped  as  gods.  In  this  fornication  all  the 
tributary  kings  of  subject  nations  were  involved. 
They  were  made  drunk  with  the  hot  wine  of  her 
spiritual  fornication."  (H.  Cowles.) 

These  nations  made  drunk  persecuted  the  inno- 
cent Christians  with  all  the  folly  and  violence  of 
men  drunk  with  real  wine. 

The  angel  carried  John  awayin  spirit  into  the  wil- 
derness, where  he  saw  a  woman  sit  upon  a  scarlet- 
colored  beast  full  of  the  names  of  blasphemy,  hav- 
ing seven  heads  and  ten  horns.  This  is  none  other 
than  the  beast  seen,  in  the  early  part  of  the  vision, 
rise  up  out  of  the  sea.  Every  point  of  the  descrip- 
tion, save  it  maybe  the  color,  answers  to  that  given 
of  the  first  beast.  The  dress  and  jewels  of  the 
woman  show  great  wealth.  Rome  at  this  period 
was  immensely  wealthy,  and  her  display  of  gran- 
deur was  marvelous. 

The  name  written  upon  her  forehead  was  won- 
derfully expressive,  and  it  fully  characterized  Rome 
at  this  time. 

The  woman  drunk  with  the  blood  of  saints  and 


262      The  Kingdom  and  Comings,  of  Christ. 

martyrs  of  Jesus  refers  to  the  bloody  persecutions 
of  that  period.  Who  ever  exceeded  Nero  in  this 
bloody  work — who  lit  the  fires  of  his  amphitheater 
with  burning  martyrs — who  fired  his  own  capital, 
and  then  laid  the  blame  upon  the  Christians,  that 
he  might  gloat  over  the  inhuman  cruelty  inflicted 
upon  them  by  his  savage  people  ? 

When  John  saw  her,  he  wondered  with  great  ad- 
miration— not  in  an  approving  sense,  but  in  won- 
der at  her  mighty  power  and  bloodthirsty  deeds. 
Here  the  angel  proposes  to  tell  him  the  mystery  of 
the  woman  and  the  beast  that  carrieth  her,  which 
hath  the  seven  heads  and  ten  horns.  At  first  it  is 
enigmatical.  "The  beast  that  thou  sawest  was, 
and  is  not;  and  shall  ascend  out  of  the  bottom- 
less pit,  and  go  into  perdition."  This  is  the  em- 
pire under  the  Caesars,  as  we  have  seen.  When 
Julius  Caesar  was  slain,  it  was  thought  that  his  em- 
pire must  perish ;  but  Augustus  seizes  the  scepter, 
and  "it  is."  His  ascending  out  of  the  pit  refers 
to  the  fact  presented  in  a  former  chapter  where  the 
dragon  gave  his  power  to  the  beast.  He  receives 
his  power  from  the  pit,  as  if  he  had  come  up  out 
of  it;  but  he  is  doomed,  and  shall  "  go  into  perdi- 
tion." 

"And  here  is  the  mind  that  hath  wisdom.  The 
seven  heads  are  seven  mountains,  on  which  the 
woman  sitteth." 

There  shall  be  a  mystery  about  this  no  longer. 
My  people  shall  know  what  this  woman  and  beast 
are,  for  they  both  represent  the  same  thing.  The 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     263 

seven  heads  have  a  twofold  significance — the  first 
locating  the  city;  secondly,  pointing  out  the  suc- 
cession of  her  kings. 

"It  need  not  disturb  us  that  in  the  scenes  of  a 
vision,  as  in  the  scenes  of  a  night-dream,  there 
should  be  a  slight  and  sudden  change  or  shifting 
of  some  of  the  aspects,  as  here  in  verse  3  the 
woman  sits  on  the  beast  and  in  verse  9  she  sits  on 
seven  mountains.  There  is  truth  in  both  views, 
and  they  are  by  no  means  incongruous.  Geo- 
graphically she  sat  on  the  well-known  seven  hills 
of  the  great  city  Rome,  but  politically  she  sat  on 
the  seven-headed  and  ten-horned  beast.  These 
points  are  of  prime  importance  to  identify  her  in 
both  these  respects :  her  relation  to  place,  and  her 
relation  to  the  great  political  powers  of  the  world." 

No  other  city  of  the  world  approaches  this  de- 
scription. Every  student  of  history  knows  that 
Rome  was  built  on  seven  hills,  and  this  was  her 
well-known  characteristic. 

Now  add  to  this  the  other  fact,  "And  there  are 
seven  kings:  five  are  fallen,  and  one  is,  and  the 
other  is  not  yet  come;  and  when  he  cometh,  he 
must  continue  a  short  space,"  and  we  have  over- 
whelming evidence  that  Rome  in  the  time  of  the 
Ca3sars  is  meant,  and  no  other  city  and  no  other 
time. 

The  seven  heads  had  a  twofold  reference :  First, 
the  location  of  this  persecuting  power,  pagan 
Rome;  and  second,  the  time — during  the  reign  of 
the  Caesars ;  and  further,  that  the  vision  was  dur- 


264      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

ing  the  reign  of  Nero,  whose  name  had  already 
been  given  in  the  number  666.  Five  are  fallen — 
viz.,  Julius  Caesar,  Augustus,  Tiberius,  Caligula, 
Claudius.  All  these  had  fallen  at  the  time  when 
this  vision  was  being  shown,  and  this  explanation 
of  it  was  being  given.  Nero  the  Sixth  was  then  on 
the  throne.  Galba  followed  him  with  a  reign  of 
only  seven  months,  indeed  "  a  short  space." 

"  Thus  with  no  forced  construction,  but  in  a  most 
easy  and  obvious  application  of  the  revealing  an- 
gel's words,  we  have  the  great  facts  of  Roman 
history  precisely  indicated.  An  explanatory  pro- 
phetic symbol,  divinely  given,  ought  to  tally  with 
history  easily  and  with  great  precision  and  accura- 
cy. It  surely  will  if  you  bring  it  to  the  right  his- 
tory— /.  £.,  if  you  have  the  true  application  of  the 
symbols  of  history.  This  history  fits  the  angel's  in- 
terpretation of  these  symbols  perfectly.  There  can 
be  no  rational  doubt,  therefore,  that  this  application 
of  his  symbols  to  history  is  the  true  one."  (H. 
Cowles.) 

The  reader  must  remember  that  it  is  the  beast 
that  persecutes  the  Christians.  There  may  have 
been  no  persecutions  under  the  reign  of  Julius 
Caasar,  but  he  is  used  only  as  a  part  of  the  descrip- 
tion of  the  beast  by  which  he  is  identified.  Nor 
are  we  told  that  the  beast  dies  as  soon  as  the  seven 
heads  by  which  he  is  identified  fall;  but  the  re- 
vealing angel  goes  on  to  say:  "And  the  beast  that 
was,  and  is  not,  even  he  is  the  eighth,  and  is  of  the 
seven,  and  goeth  into  perdition,"  showing  that  the 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     265 

empire  continues  after  the  fall  of  the  seventh ;  and 
that  the  eighth  is  of  the  seven — that  is,  Otho,  Vitel- 
lus,  Vespasian,  and  others  claimed  to  be  Caesars, 
though  usurpers.  Under  them  the  beast  still  per- 
secutes. But  let  the  saints  take  courage.  Imperial, 
persecuting  Rome  is  fatally  doomed,  and  must  go 
into  perdition. 

"And  the  ten  horns  which  thou  sawest  are  ten 
kings,  which  have  received  no  kingdom  as  yet; 
but  receive  power  as  kings  one  hour  with  the  beast. 
These  have  one  mind,  and  shall  give  their  power 
and  strength  unto  the  beast.  These  shall  make 
war  with  the  Lamb,  and  the  Lamb  shall  overcome 
them:  for  he  is  Lord  of  lords,  and  King  of  kings: 
and  they  that  are  with  him  are  called,  and  chosen, 
and  faithful." 

Here  we  have  the  symbol  of  Rome  as  a  perse- 
cuting power  under  the  short  reign  of  those  who 
usurped  the  throne  of  the  Caesars.  "One  hour" 
is  not  a  definite  period,  but  is  to  represent  the  brief 
reign  of  these  kings.  Whether  there  were  exactly 
ten — no  more,  no  less — is  not  important  to  the  sym- 
bol. It  may  be  a  definite  for  an  indefinite  number. 
They  are  the  willing  tools  of  the  beast,  giving  their 
power  and  strength  to  him.  With  one  mind  they 
war  with  the  Lamb;  but — comforting  thought — 
"the  Lamb  shall  overcome  them:  for  he  is  Lord 
of  lords,  and  King  of  kings."  The  declaration  is 
intended  to  strengthen  the  courage  of  the  saints 
and  make  them  endure  hardness  as  good  soldiers 
of  Jesus  Christ. 


266      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

"And  he  saith  unto  me,  The  waters  which  thou 
sawest,  where  the  whore  sitteth,  are  peoples,  and 
multitudes,  and  nations,  and  tongues." 

This  description  answers  precisely  to  Rome. 
She  sat  on  numberless  thrones  of  subject  peo- 
ples. The  conquered  kings  of  a  vast  number  of 
subjects  were  prisoners  in  her  walls,  and  over 
these  peoples  and  nations  these  ten  kings  were  said 
to  reign. 

"And  the  ten  horns  which  thou  sawest  upon  the 
beast,  these  shall  hate  the  whore,  and  shall  make 
her  desolate  and  naked,  and  shall  eat  her  flesh, 
and  burn  her  with  fire.  For  God  hath  put  in 
their  hearts  to  fulfill  his  will,  and  to  agree,  and 
give  their  kingdom  unto  the  beast,  until  the  words 
of  God  shall  be  fulfilled." 

Here  is  a  symbol  of  the  manner  in  which  Rome 
shall  be  destroyed.  These  kings  are  to  turn 
against  her;  Rome  is  to  die  by  the  hands  of  her 
own  people.  Civil  war  and  discord  were  to  de- 
stroy and  make  her  desolate,  to  strip  and  make 
her  naked,  to  devour  her  very  substance,  and  set 
her  on  fire — all  of  which  was  done.  God,  who 
maketh  the  wrath  of  man  to  praise  him,  put  it  into 
the  hearts  of  the  people  thus  to  destroy  this  de- 
stroyer of  his  people. 

Does  not  history  show  us  that  the  people  of  cen- 
tral Europe  (Gauls,  Germans,  Goths,  and  others) 
and  those  of  Asia  (especially  the  Parthians)  be- 
came the  sword  in  God's  hand  for  the  destruction 
of  Rome.  They  applied  the  torch  to  the  mighty 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     267 

fabric  of  her  power,  and  thus  burned  it  with  fire. 
Not  only  so,  but  Rome  lost  its  place  as  the  seat  of 
empire,  and  it  was  transferred  to  Constantinople. 
And  then  the  closing  words  of  the  angel  would 
fix  it  unmistakably  on  Rome. 

"And  the  woman  which  thou  sawest  is  that  great 
city,  which  reigneth  over  the  kings  of  the  earth." 

She  represents  precisely  pagan  Rome.  The 
language  can  apply  to  no  other  city  of  those  times. 
And  if  it  be  pagan  Rome,  it  strikes  with  resistless 
force  against  the  theory  held  by  so  many  that  the 
woman  is  papal  Rome.  Every  symbol  so  far  ap- 
plies naturally  and  easily  to  pagan  Rome — time, 
place,  kings,  circumstances,  and  all — while  papal 
Rome  did  not  come  into  power  for  a  thousand 
years  after  this  book  was  written,  and  every  sym- 
bol must  be  strained  to  represent  it.  I  can  see 
papal  Rome  nowhere  in  this  book. 

"And  after  these  things  I  saw  another  angel 
come  down  from  heaven,  having  great  power; 
and  the  earth  was  lightened  with  his  glory.  And 
he  cried  mightily  with  a  strong  voice,  saying,  Bab- 
ylon the  great  is  fallen,  is  fallen,  and  is  become  the 
habitation  of  devils,  and  the  hold  of  every  foul 
spirit,  and  a  cage  of  every  unclean  and  hateful 
bird.  For  all  nations  have  drunk  of  the  wine  of 
the  wrath  of  her  fornication,  and  the  kings  of  the 
earth  have  committed  fornication  with  her,  and  the 
merchants  of  the  earth  have  waxed  rich  through 
the  abundance  of  her  delicacies." 

This  angel  comes  to  make  the  announcement  of 


268      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

the  fall  of  Rome,  here  called  Babylon.  We  have 
seen  that  this  was  the  name  written  upon  the  fore- 
head of  the  woman  upon  the  beast,  and  the  reveal- 
ing angel  said:  "And  the  woman  which  thou  saw- 
est  is  that  great  city,  which  reigneth  over  the  kings 
of  the  earth."  Pagan  Rome  falls  under  the  pow- 
er of  God's  judgments.  Is  it  not  wonderful  that 
an  infidel  writer,  in  giving  us  the  history  of  this 
very  nation  whose  capital  city  was  Rome,  and  the 
history  of  this  very  period,  should  select  as  the  title 
of  his  book,  "  The  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Roman 
Empire?"  Rome  did  fall r,  and  the  cause  of  this 
fall  is  given.  It  "  became  the  habitation  of  devils, 
and  the  hold  of  every  foul  spirit,  and  a  cage  of 
every  unclean  and  hateful  bird."  It  perished  of 
its  own  corruption  and  rottenness.  Perhaps  no 
city  of  earth  ever  became  more  corrupt.  Society 
was  rotten  to  the  very  core,  and  this  rottenness 
is  symbolized  by  these  devils,  foul  spirits,  and 
hateful  birds. 

But  this  was  not  all:  she  had  made  all  nations 
drink  "of  the  wine  of  the  wrath  of  her  fornica- 
tion," etc.  The  corrupting  influence  exerted 
upon  all  nations  over  which  she  reigned  was  an- 
other cause  of  her  overthrow.  She  had  forced 
other  nations  to  commit  idolatry,  and  made  kings 
commit  fornication  (idolatry)  with  her. 

"And  I  heard  another  voice  from  heaven,  say- 
ing, Come  out  of  her,  my  people,  that  ye  be  not 
partakers  of  her  sins,  and  that  ye  receive  not  of 
her  plagues.  For  her  sins  have  reached  unto 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     269 

heaven,  and  God  hath  remembered  her  iniquities. 
Reward  her  even  as  she  rewarded  you,  and  double 
unto  her  double  according  to  her  works:  in  the 
cup  which  she  hath  filled,  fill  to  her  double." 

As  in  the  case  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  God 
withheld  his  judgments  until  he  had  called  right- 
eous Lot  and  his  family  out,  so  arrangements  are 
made  for  the  rescue  of  his  people  in  Rome.  They 
are  called  to  come  out  of  her.  Her  sins  had 
reached  unto  heaven,  and  the  edict  had  gone  forth 
to  pour  out  the  vials  of  his  wrath  upon  her,  doub- 
ling his  judgments  according  to  her  deeds.  She 
is  to  be  recompensed  according  to  her  works. 

"  How  much  she  hath  glorified  herself,  and  lived 
deliciously,  so  much  torment  and  sorrow  give  her: 
for  she  saith  in  her  heart,  I  sit  a  queen,  and  am 
no  widow,  and  shall  see  no  sorrow.  Therefore 
shall  her  plagues  come  in  one  day,  death,  and 
mourning,  and  famine;  and  she  shall  be  utterly 
burned  with  fire :  for  strong  is  the  Lord  God  who 
judgeth  her." 

No  city  of  earth  had  been  so  proud,  no  city 
more  luxurious,  and  now  her  judgments  are  to  be 
in  proportion  to  her  glory.  And  these  judgments 
are  to  strike  her  just  when  she  is  pluming  herself 
that  she  shall  see  no  sorrow.  Sudden  and  awful 
were  the  judgments  of  God  upon  this  wicked  city. 
' 'The  Rome  in  the  times  of  John  was  in  fact 
blighted  and  scathed,  tortured  and  smitten;  her 
imperial  power  broken;  her  idolatrous  influence 
crushed  out;  her  persecuting  terrors  quenched  in 


270      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

God's  own  way,  by  judgments  which  might  well 
make  every  ear  tingle  and  every  heart  quail.  A 
city  called  Rome  is  indeed  standing  now,  nearly 
on  the  site  of  that  Rome  of  old ;  but  is  it  the  same 
city — imperial  now  as  then ;  mistress  of  the  nations 
now  as  then;  deifying  her  emperors,  and  compel- 
ling Christians  to  bow  before  her  idolatrous  mili- 
tary standards  now  as  then;  persecuting  with  fire 
and  sword,  with  exile  and  torture,  now  as  then? 
Not  at  all.  This  Rome  and  that  have  nothing  in 
common  but  the  name.  The  old  Rome  of  the  age 
of  John,  the  Rome  that  sat  on  the  seven-headed, 
ten-horned  beast,  has  been  politically  dead  for  fif- 
teen centuries." 

"And  the  kings  of  the  earth,  who  have  commit- 
ed  fornication  and  lived  deliciously  with  her,  shall, 
bewail  her,  and  lament  for  her,  when  they  shall 
see  the  smoke  of  her  burning,  standing  afar  off  for 
the  fear  of  her  torment,  saying,  Alas,  alas,  that 
great  city  Babylon,  that  mighty  city!  for  in  one 
hour  is  thy  judgment  come.  And  the  merchants 
of  the  earth  shall  weep  and  mourn  over  her;  for 
no  man  buyeth  their  merchandise  any  more:  the 
merchandise  of  gold,  and  silver,  and  precious 
stones,  and  o±  pearls,  and  fine  linen,  and  purple, 
and  silk,  and  scarlet,  and  all  thyine  wood,  and  all 
manner  vessels  of  ivory,  and  all  manner  vessels  of 
most  precious  wood,  and  of  brass,  and  iron,  and 
marble,  and  cinnamon,  and  odors,  and  ointments, 
and  frankincense,  and  wine,  and  oil,  and  fine  flour, 
and  wheat,  and  beasts,  and  sheep,  and  horses,  and 
chariots,  and  slaves,  and  souls  of  men." 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     271 

This  is  a  symbol  of  the  effect  that  the  fall  of 
Rome  will  produce  upon  the  kings  and  merchants 
of  the  earth  that  had  been  made  rich  by  the  abun- 
dance of  her  delicacies.  They  see  all  their  trade 
swept  away  in  her  fall,  and  they  lament  and 
mourn. 

"And  the  fruit  that  thy  soul  lusted  after  are  de- 
parted from  thee,  and  all  things  which  were  dainty 
and  goodly  are  departed  from  thee,  and  thou  shalt 
find  them  no  more  at  all.  The  merchants  of  these 
things,  which  were  made  rich  by  her,  shall  stand 
afar  off  for  the  fear  of  her  torment,  weeping  and 
wailing,  and  saying,  Alas,  alas,  that  great  city, 
that  was  clothed  in  fine  linen,  and  purple,  and 
scarlet,  and  decked  with  gold,  and  precious  stones, 
and  pearls !  For  in  one  hour  so  great  riches  is 
come  to  naught." 

Here  the  merchants,  like  the  kings,  weep  and 
wail  over  the  destruction  of  this  great  market  of 
their  merchandise. 

4 'And  every  ship-master,  and  all  the  company  in 
ships,  and  sailors,  and  as  many  as  trade  by  sea, 
stood  afar  off,  and  cried  when  they  saw  the  smoke 
of  her  burning,  saying,  What  city  is  like  unto  this 
great  city!  And  they  cast  dust  on  their  heads, 
cried,  weeping  and  wailing,  saying,  Alas,  alas, 
that  great  city,  wherein  were  made  rich  all  that 
had  ships  in  the  sea  by  reason  of  her  costliness ! 
for  in  one  hour  is  she  made  desolate." 

Still  another  class,  sailors  and  ship-masters,  weep 
and  wail  because  they  see  the  destruction  of  the 


272      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

city  that  was  the  center  of  their  trade.  Thus  the 
fall  of  this  mighty  city  affected  all  classes  of  men. 

"  Rejoice  over  her,  thou  heaven,  and  ye  holy 
apostles  and  prophets ;  for  God  hath  avenged  you 
on  her." 

Rome,  the  great  persecuting  power,  goes  down 
under  the  avenging  hand  of  a  righteous  God  in 
answer  to  the  prayers  of  his  saints,  and  heaven 
and  all  the  good  are  called  upon  to  rejoice,  not  so 
much  at  the  fall  of  the  wicked  as  at  the  deliver- 
ance of  the  righteous. 

"And  a  mighty  angel  took  up  a  stone  like  a  great 
millstone,  and  cast  it  into  the  sea,  saying,  Thus 
with  violence  shall  that  great  city  Babylon  be 
thrown  down,  and  shall  be  found  no  more  at  all. 
And  the  voice  of  harpers,  and  musicians,  and  of 
pipers,  and  trumpeters,  shall  be  heard  no  more  at 
all  in  thee;  and  no  craftsman,  of  whatsoever  craft 
he  be,  shall  be  found  any  more  in  thee;  and  the 
sound  of  a  millstone  shall  be  heard  no  more  at  all 
in  thee;  and  the  light  of  a  candle  shall  shine  no 
more  at  all  in  thee;  and  the  voice  of  the  bride- 
groom and  of  the  bride  shall  be  heard  no  more  at 
all  in  thee :  for  thy  merchants  were  the  great  men 
of  the  earth ;  for  by  thy  sorceries  were  all  nations 
deceived.  And  in  her  was  found  the  blood  of 
prophets,  and  of  saints,  and  of  all  that  were  slain 
upon  the  earth." 

God  would  show  how  this  mighty  persecuting 
power  was  hurled  down.  The  symbol  is  that  of 
a  mighty  angel  casting  a  stone  like  a  great  mill- 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     273 

stone  into  the  sea,  pronouncing  its  doom  as  it  falls; 
picturing  the  utter  desolation  by  hushing  all  sounds 
and  shutting  out  all  sights,  and  concluding  with 
the  reason  of  this  utter  overthrow.  She  had  de- 
ceived all  nations  with  her  sorceries,  led  all  into 
idolatry  and  persecution.  The  blood  of  prophets 
and  all  that  were  slain  upon  the  earth  was  found 
in  her. 

" After  these  things  I  heard  a  great  voice  of 
much  people  in  heaven,  saying,  Alleluia;  Salva- 
tion, and  glory,  and  honor,  and  power,  unto  the 
Lord  our  God:  for  true  and  righteous  are  his 
judgments;  for  he  hath  judged  the  great  whore, 
which  did  corrupt  the  earth  with  her  fornication, 
and  hath  avenged  the  blood  of  his  servants  at  her 
hand.  And  again  they  said,  Alleluia.  And  her 
smoke  rose  up  forever  and  ever." 

Heaven  rejoices  at  the  righteous  judgments  of 
God  in  overthrowing  this  mighty  persecuting  city, 
the  great  whore,  which,  as  we  have  seen,  is  none 
other  than  pagan  Rome.  She  had  corrupted  the 
the  earth  with  her  fornication  (idolatry),  and  had 
shed  profusely  the  blood  of  his  saints,  and  for  this 
God  had  avenged  their  blood;  and  as  she  went 
down  under  his  power  it  sent  a  thrill  of  joy  all 
through  heaven  that  voiced  itself  in  the  shout,  "Al- 
leluia "  (praise  of  Jah — i.  £.,  Jehovah  the  Lord), 
"  and  her  smoke  rose  up  forever  and  ever."  The 
fact  of  this  righteous  judgment  upon  this  great 
persecuting  power  was  to  be  known  throughout  all 
generations.  It  is  a  standing  monument  of  God's 
18 


274      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

wrath  upon  the  corruptions  of  idolatry  and  the 
persecutions  of  his  saints — as  if  a  column  of  smoke 
ascending  forever  in  the  sight  of  men  would  re- 
mind them  of  the  destruction  and  torment  of  those 
lying  under  the  wrath  of  God. 

"And  the  four  and  twenty  elders  and  the  four 
beasts  [living  creatures]  fell  down  and  worshiped 
God  that  sat  on  the  throne,  saying,  Amen;  Alle- 
luia." 

These  prominent  personages  that  appear  all 
through  these  visions,  as  in  deep  sympathy  with 
the  work  of  the  Lamb  and  the  interests  of  his 
saints,  join  in  the  chorus,  "Alleluia,"  that  swells 
throughout  heaven.  By  their  falling  down  and 
worshiping  God  that  sat  on  the  throne  they  show 
that  it  was  God  who  had  executed  these  judg- 
ments and  wrought  this  deliverance. 

"And  a  voice  came  out  of  the  throne,  saying, 
Praise  our  God,  all  ye  his  servants,  and  ye  that 
fear  him,  both  small  and  great.  And  I  heard  as  it 
were  the  voice  of  a  great  multitude,  and  as  the 
voice  of  many  waters,  and  as  the  voice  of  mighty 
thunderings,  saying,  Alleluia:  for  the  Lord  God 
omnipotent  reigneth." 

It  is  not  said  who  uttered  this  voice;  but  it 
came  out  of  the  throne,  and  it  was  a  command  for 
all,  both  small  and  great,  to  join  in  the  song  of 
praise ;  and  in  response  it  came  like  the  voice  of  a 
great  multitude,  like  the  roar  of  the  sea,  and  the 
echo  of  mighty  thunderings — all  syllabled  in  that 
pason  of  praise  and  of  victory,  "Alleluia."  Jehovah 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     275 

had  taken  the  reins  of  government  into  his  hands, 
and  it  was  enough  to  make  heaven  and  earth  glad. 
The  joy  was  universal,  and  they  shout: 

"  Let  us  be  glad  and  rejoice,  and  give  honor  to 
him:  for  the  marriage  of  the  Lamb  is  come,  and 
his  wife  hath  made  herself  ready.  And  to  her  was 
granted  that  she  should  be  arrayed  in  fine  linen, 
clean  and  white:  for  the  fine  linen  is  the  righteous- 

o 

ness  of  saints.  And  he  saith  unto  me,  Write, 
Blessed  are  they  which  are  called  unto  the  mar- 
riage supper  of  the  Lamb.  And  he  said  unto  me, 
These  are  the  true  sayings  of  God." 

Now  that  the  two  great  persecuting  powers, 
Jerusalem  and  Rome,  had  been  swept  out  of  the 
way,  there  was  nothing  to  hinder  the  spread  of  the 
gospel.  Jesus  the  Lamb  was  ready  to  be  united 
to  his  people,  and  to  go  forth  hand  in  hand  witl\ 
them  to  people  the  world  with  his  saints.  The 
bride,  in  the  beauty  of  holiness,  was  to  show  to 
the  world  the  loveliness  of  the  religion  of  Jesus. 
And  blessed  are  they  which  are  called  unto  the 
marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb.  Glorious  privilege  ! 
exalted  honor!  All  this  is  a  symbol  of  the  pros- 
perity of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  after  the  re- 
moval of  these  great  hindering  causes. 

"And  I  fell  at  his  feet  to  worship  him.  And  he 
said  unto  me,  See  thou  do  it  not:  I  am  thy  fellow- 
servant,  and  of  thy  brethren  that  have  the  testi- 
mony of  Jesus:  worship  God:  for  the  testimony 
of  Jesus  is  the  spirit  of  prophecy." 

So  glorious  was  the  appearance  of  this  revealing 


276      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

angel  that  John  mistook  him  for  the  Lord  himself, 
and  fell  at  his  feet  to  worship  him,  and  is  forbid- 
den on  the  ground  that  he  is  a  fellow-servant  of 
his;  and  that  God  only  is  worthy  of  adoration,  as 
all  the  prophets  who  had  testified  of  Jesus  had 
shown. 

"And  I  saw  heaven  opened,  and  behold  a  white 
horse ;  and  he  that  sat  upon  him  was  called  Faith- 
ful and  True,  and  in  righteousness  he  doth  judge 
and  make  war.  His  eyes  were  as  a  flame  of  fire, 
and  on  his  head  were  many  crowns;  and  he  had 
a  name  written,  that  no  man  knew,  but  he  him- 
self. And  he  was  clothed  with  a  vesture  dipped 
in  blood:  and  his  name  is  called  the  Word  of  God. 
And  the  armies  which  were  in  heaven  followed  him 
upon  white  horses,  clothed  in  fine  linen,  white  and 
clean.  And  out  of  his  mouth  goeth  a  sharp  sword, 
that  with  it  he  should  smite  the  nations;  and  he 
shall  rule  them  with  a  rod  of  iron:  and  he  tread- 
eth  the  wine-press  of  the  fierceness  and  wrath  of 
Almighty  God.  And  he  had  on  his  vesture  and  on 
his  thigh  a  name  written,  KING  OF  KINGS, 
AND  LORD  OF  LORDS." 

The  chief  actor  in  the  scene  now  appears,  rid- 
ing on  a  white  horse  out  of  opened  heaven.  He 
is  the  commander  of  the  armies  that  follow.  His 
name  is  given — Faithful  and  True — and  the  war  in 
which  he  is  engaged  is  a  righteous  war.  He  did 
not  strike  till  he  had  weighed  well  the  offense 
against  his  people  and  the  justice  of  his  cause. 
His  eyes  were  as  a  flame  of  fire:  he  could  see 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     277 

into  the  depths  of  iniquity;  he  knew  all.  On  his 
head  were  many  crowns;  his  resources  were 
unbounded;  under  his  command  were  all  the 
allies  and  powers  necessary  to  the  accomplish- 
ment of  his  purpose.  He  himself  was  the  "  Won- 
derful," the  deep  significance  of  whose  name  no 
man  knew  but  he  himself.  And  he  was  clothed 
with  a  vesture  dipped  in  blood.  Those  who  look 
upon  Christ  as  only  a  God  of  mercy  are  fearfully 
mistaken.  "Justice  and  judgment  are  the  habita- 
tion of  his  throne."  Paul  asks  the  question:  "  Is 
God  unrighteous  who  taketh  vengeance?  (I  speak 
as  a  man)  God  forbid:  for  then  how  shall  God 
judge  the  world?"  No  fact  is  more  clearly  stated 
in  the  Scriptures  than  that  he  will  take  vengeance 
upon  his  enemies.  As  we  have  seen,  when  the 
prophet  Isaiah  predicted  his  coming  to  judge  Jeru- 
salem, he  cried  out:  "Who  is  this  that  cometh 
from  Edom  with  dyed  garments  from  Bozrah? 
this  that  is  glorious  in  his  apparel,  traveling  in  the 
greatness  of  his  strength?"  And  is  answered: 
"I  that  speak  in  righteousness,  mighty  to  save." 
The  question  is  then  asked  to  bring  out  the  fact: 
*'  Wherefore  art  thou  red  in  thine  apparel,  and  thy 
garments  like  him  that  treadeth  in  the  wine-fat?  " 
The  answer  is  given:  "I  have  trodden  the  wine- 
press alone;  and  of  the  people  there  was  none 
with  me :  for  I  will  tread  them  in  mine  anger,  and 
trample  them  in  my  fury ;  and  their  blood  shall  be 
sprinkled  upon  my  garments,  and  I  will  stain  all 
my  raiment.  For  the  day  of  vengeance  is  in  mine 


278      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

heart,  and  the  year  of  my  redeemed  is  come.  And 
I  looked,  and  there  was  none  to  help ;  and  I  won- 
dered that  there  was  none  to  uphold:  therefore 
mine  own  arm  brought  salvation  unto  me ;  and  my 
fury,  it  upheld  me.  And  I  will  tread  down  the 
people  in  mine  anger,  and  make  them  drunk  in 
my  fury,  and  I  will  bring  down  their  strength  to 
the  earth."  So  in  this  case  the  same  mighty 
champion  is  seen  mounted  on  a  white  horse,  with 
his  vesture  dipped  in  blood.  He  is  again  treading 
down  his  enemies.  Every  title  applied  to  him  here 
shows  us  clearly  that  this  conquerer  is  Christ — 
Faithful  and  True,  the  Word  of  God,  and  King  of 
kings,  and  Lord  of  lords.  No  other  is  entitled 
to  these  names.  But  he  goes  forth  not  alone. 
The  armies  which  were  in  heaven  follow  him 
upon  white  horses  like  his,  the  symbol  of  victory. 
They  are  clothed  in  fine  linen,  white  and  clean. 
The  revealing  angel  tells  us  that  the  "  fine  linen  is 
the  righteousness  of  the  saints."  They  are  in  full 
harmony  and  sympathy  with  their  leader. 

"And  out  of  his  mouth  goeth  a  sharp  sword." 
Jesus  is  to  conquer  with  his  word.  His  commands 
are  obeyed  to  the  letter.  Every  power  of  the  uni- 
verse is  at  his  command.  He  speaks,  and  armies 
move;  earthquakes  rend  the  solid  earth,  and  light- 
nings leap  from  the  batteries  of  the  sky.  He  has 
no  golden  scepter  for  his  foes  now.  Their  rebel- 
lion has  reached  a  point  where  the  cup  of  their  iniq- 
uity is  full,  and  he  rules  now  with  a  rod  of  iron.  He 
lifts  his  hand  to  smite  and  destroy  all  these  nations 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     279 

that  are  drunk  with  the  wine  of  Rome's  fornication. 
King's  and  lords  have  to  submit  to  his  power,  by 
virtue  of  the  victory  he  has  achieved,  for  he  is 
King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords.  As  he  and  his 
armies  go  forth  to  the  final  battle  against  the  mul- 
tiplied nations  that  war  against  him,  John  says: 

"And  I  saw  an  angel  standing  in  the  sun;  and 
be  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  saying  to  all  the  fowls 
that  fly  in  the  midst  of  heaven,  Come  and  gather 
yourselves  together  unto  the  supper  of  the  great 
God;  that  ye  may  eat  the  flesh  of  kings,  and  the 
flesh  of  captains,  and  the  flesh  of  mighty  men,  and 
the  flesh  of  horses,  and  of  them  that  sit  on  them, 
and  the  flesh  of  all  men,  both  free  and  bond,  both 
small  and  great." 

This  angel  is  seen  standing  in  the  sun — that  is, 
in  the  east  as  the  sun  rises.  His  voice  rings  out 
through  the  vast  concave  of  heaven,  summoning 
every  bird  of  prey  to  the  battle-field,  for  a  feast 
such  as  they  have  never  enjoyed. 

"The  slain  of  the  Lord  shall  be  many,  and  they 
shall  eat  to  the  full." 

This  is  symbolical  of  the  great  slaughter  that 
should  take  place  at  the  fall  of  Rome.  When  the 
day  of  battle  shall  close,  and  mountain  and  plain 
shall  be  strewn  thick  with  the  bodies  of  the  slain— 
of  kings,  captains,  mighty  men,  horses,  and  sol- 
diers— free,  bond,  small,  and  great,  then  these 
fowls  that  fly  in  the  midst  of  heaven  are  to  partake 
of  this  "  supper  of  the  great  God." 

No  attempt  is  made  to  describe  the  battle  scene, 


280      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

but  John  sees  the  hosts  gathering,  and  witnesses 
the  final  act. 

"And  I  saw  the  beast,  and  the  kings  of  the  earth, 
and  their  armies,  gathered  together  to  make  war 
against  him  that  sat  on  the  horse,  and  against  his 
army.  And  the  beast  was  taken,  and  with  him  the 
false  prophet  that  wrought  miracles  before  him, 
with  which  he  deceived  them  that  had  received 
the  mark  of  the  beast,  and  them  that  worshiped 
his  image.  These  both  were  cast  alive  into  a  lake 
of  fire  burning  with  brimstone.  And  the  remnant 
were  slain  with  the  sword  of  him  that  sat  upon  the 
horse,  which  sword  proceeded  out  of  his  mouth; 
and  all  the  fowls  were  filled  with  their  flesh." 

There  was  one  mighty  shock  as  these  multiplied 
nations  hurled  themselves  against  him  that  sat  on 
the  horse  and  against  his  army.  The  leaders — 
the  beast,  pagan  Rome,  the  false  prophet,  and  the 
pagan  priesthood — were  seized  and  cast  alive  into  a 
lake  of  fire  burning  with  brimstone.  This  is  a  sym- 
bol of  the  complete  overthrow  of  this  great  persecu- 
ting power.  The  victory  is  complete  and  final.  The 
remnant  were  slain,  and  their  bodies  given  to  the 
fowls  that  in  the  early  morning  had  been  invited  to 
the  supper  of  the  great  God. 

One  fact  in  this  symbol  should  be  specially  noted. 
The  beast  seen  coming  up  out  of  the  sea,  with  the 
seven  heads  and  ten  horns,  which  we  have  seen  an- 
swers in  every  feature  to  pagan  Rome  and  the  false 
prophet,  synonymous  with  the  beast  that  came  up 
out  of  the  earth,  are  both  here — here  at  the  same 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     281 

time  and  place;  so  one  cannot  represent  pagan 
Rome  and  the  other  papal  Rome,  that  as  a  perse- 
cuting power  followed  a  thousand  years  after. 
Everywhere  in  this  vision  they  are  cotemporary, 
the  latter  always  subordinate  to  the  former,  and 
exercising  his  power  in  seducing  kings,  nations, 
tongues,  and  peoples  to  worship  the  beast  and  his 
image.  Both  were  cast  at  the  same  time  into  the 
burning  lake,  the  prison  house  of  the  lost,  first  pre- 
pared for  the  devil  and  his  angels.  They  did  the 
devil's  work,  and  they  must  share  the  devil's  hell; 
for,  you  remember,  "the  dragon  gave  him  his 
power,  and  his  seat,  and  great  authority."  (H. 
Cowles.) 

The  beast  and  the  false  prophet  have  been  taken 
and  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire  burning  with  brim- 
stone. Shall  the  archenemy,  the  instigator  of  all 
the  wickedness  and  crime,  escape?  No.  Hear 
what  John  says  of  him  : 

"And  I  saw  an  angel  come  down  from  heaven, 
having  the  key  of  the  bottomless  pit  and  a  great 
chain  in  his  hand.  And  he  laid  hold  on  the  drag- 
on, that  old  serpent,  which  is  the  Devil,  and  Satan, 
and  bound  him  a  thousand  years,  and  cast  him  into 
the  bottomless  pit,  and  shut  him  up,  and  set  a  seal 
upon  him,  that  he  should  deceive  the  nations  no 
more,  till  the  thousand  years  should  be  fulfilled: 
and  after  that  he  must  be  loosed  a  little  season.". 

This  is  not  literal,  but,  like  all  else  in  this  book, 
is  symbolical.  The  devil  has  had  great  power. 
He  stood  before  the  woman  to  devour  her  child  as 


282      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

soon  as  it  was  born,  and  when  this  child  is  divinely 
preserved  he  persecutes  the  woman,  gives  his  power 
and  his  seat  to  the  ferocious  beast  that  comes  up 
out  of  the  sea,  who  in  turn  marshals  all  the  kings 
and  peoples  against  the  followers  of  Christ,  to 
crush  out  the  saints  from  the  earth.  His  emissa- 
ries have  been  overthrown,  and  now  the  power  of 
this  archenemy  must  be  curtailed  as  far  as  the 
Church  of  God  is  concerned.  An  angel  came 
down  from  heaven,  signifying  that  his  authority 
was  from  God,  and  ^ie  lays  hold  upon  the  devil  and 
casts  him  into  the  bottomless  pit,  and  shuts  him  up, 
and  sets  a  seal  upon  him,  that  he  should  deceive 
the  nations  no  more  till  the  thousand  years  should 
be  fulfilled. 

The  thousand  years  is  a  definite  period  given 
to  indicate  an  indefinite.  Not  that  he  was  to  be 
bound  for  just  ten  centuries — no  more,  no  less — 
but  this  is  a  round  number,  used  frequently  in  the 
Scriptures  to  indicate  a  long  period.  This  is  gra- 
ciously realized,  as  far  as  God's  people  are  con- 
cerned. Jesus  said:  "I  saw  Satan  as  lightning 
fall  from  heaven."  What  power  has  he  over  one 
who  abides  in  Christ,  one  who  walks  faithfully  in 
the  highway  of  holiness?  Over  this  the  unclean 
shall  not  pass.  "  No  lion  shall  be  there,  nor  any 
ravenous  beast  shall  go  up  thereon,  it  shall  not  be 
found  there;  but  the  redeemed  shall  walk  there: 
and  the  ransomed  of  the  Lord  shall  return,  and 
come  to  Zion  with  songs  and  everlasting  joy  upon 
their  heads:  they  shall  obtain  joy  and  gladness, 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     283 

and  sorrow  and  sighing  shall  flee  away."  Then, 
as  far  as  the  true  followers  of  Christ  are  concerned, 
the  devil  is  bound.  Christ  in  this  grand  battle  broke 
his  power,  and  put  his  Church  where  it  could  move 
on  to  the  salvation  of  the  world. 

"And  I  saw  thrones,  and  they  sat  upon  them, 
and  judgment  was  given  unto  them:  and  I  saw 
the  souls  of  them  that  were  beheaded  for  the  wit- 
ness of  Jesus,  and  for  the  word  of  God,  and  which 
had  not  worshiped  the  beast,  neither  his  image, 
neither  had  received  his  mark  upon  their  foreheads, 
or  in  their  hands ;  and  they  lived  and  reigned  with 
Christ  a  thousand  years.  But  the  rest  of  the  dead 
lived  not  again  until  the  thousand  years  were  fin- 
ished. This  is  the  first  resurrection.  Blessed  and 
holy  is  he  that  hath  part  in  the  first  resurrection: 
on  such  the  second  death  hath  no  power,  but  they 
shall  be  priests  of  God  and  of  Christ,  and  shall 
reign  with  him  a  thousand  years." 

Who  are  they  that  sit  upon  the  thrones?  Evi- 
dently the  souls  of  the  martyrs  which  have  played 
so  important  a  part  in  moving  by  their  pleadings 
and  prayers  their  Lord  to  avenge  them  of  their  en- 
emies. They  were  first  seen  under  the  altar,  cry- 
ing, "How  long,  O  Lord?"  Now  the  time  of 
their  exaltation  has  come.  The  two  great  perse- 
cuting powers  have  been  overthrown  and  Satan 
bound,  and  now  their  Lord  and  King  fulfills  the 
promise  he  made:  "To  him  that  overcometh  will 
I  grant  to  sit  with  me  in  my  throne,  even  as  I  also 
overcame,  and  am  set  down  with  my  Father  in  his 


284      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

throne."  These  martyrs  now  occupy  the  most 
exalted  position.  This  is  a  symbol  of  their  having 
overcome.  They  were  faithful  to  the  death,  held 
on  to  their  integrity  until  Christ  in  answer  to  their 
prayers  had  overthrown  all  their  foes  and  bound  the 
very  devil  himself.  They  were  faithful  witnesses 
for  Jesus  and  the  word  of  God,  loving  not  their 
lives  unto  the  death,  and  Christ  is  true  to  his  prom- 
ise: "  Be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give 
thee  a  crown  of  life."  With  crowns  upon  their 
heads,  and  seated  upon  thrones  in  the  presence  of 
all,  they  are  to  reign  with  Christ  for  a  thousand 
years. 

"  But  the  rest  of  the  dead  lived  not  again  until 
the  thousand  years  were  finished.  This  is  the  first 
resurrection." 

This  is  not  a  literal  resurrection,  nor  is  it  a  res- 
urrection of  the  body.  This  whole  book,  and  es- 
pecially this  part  of  it,  is  full  of  symbols.  See 
"  the  great  chain,"  "  the  old  serpent,"  the  "  seal," 
the  "  thrones,"  the  "second  death,"  the  "camp 
of  the  saints,"  etc.  So  this  resurrection  is  sym- 
bolical. The  passing  from  sorrow  to  joy  is  often 
in  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures  represented  by  a 
resurrection.  Ezekiel  xxxvii.  represents  Israel  as 
dead  and  scattered  as  dry  bones  in  a  valley,  but  by 
the  breath  of  God  they  have  a  resurrection.  This 
was  not  literal,  but  symbolical.  Other  cases  might 
be  .cited,  but  this  is  enough  to  establish  the  fact. 

In  the  New  Testament  we  have  the  same  figure. 
Ephesians  v.  14:  "Awake  thou  that  sleepest,  and 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     285 

arise  from  the  dead,  and  Christ  shall  give  thee 
light."  And  again  in  Ephesians  ii.  i:  "And  you 
hath  he  quickened,  who  were  dead  in  trespasses 
and  sins."  In  Romans  xi.  15,  Paul,  in  speaking 
of  the  salvation  of  the  Jews,  says:  "What  shall 
the  receiving  of  them  be,  but  life  from  the 
dead?" 

Now  this  first  resurrection  was  only  the  passage 
of  these  martyrs  from  the  death  of  sorrow  to  the 
life  of  joy.  Their  prayers  were  fully  answered. 
Jesus  had  returned  from  his  conquest  against  their 
foes  in  complete  triumph,  and  they  are  lifted  to 
thrones  and  are  to  have  a  joy  peculiar  to  themselves 
in  seeing  the  cause  for  which  they  died  triumphing 
as  never  before.  They  shall  partake  of  the  joy  of 
their  Lord.  The  rest  of  the  dead  know  nothing 
of  this  joy.  It  is  peculiar  to  those  who  "were  be- 
headed for  the  witness  of  Jesus  and  for  the  word 
of  God." 

That  the  thousand  years  here  is  a  definite  num- 
ber used  for  an  indefinite  period  we  can  easily  de- 
termine by  marking  its  use  elsewhere  in  the  Script- 
ures. In  the  second  commandment  (Ex.  xx.  6) 
it  is  said:  "And  showing  mercy  unto  thousands  of 
them  that  love  me,  and  keep  my  commandments." 
Thousands  means  not  unto  thousands  of  people, 
but  unto  the  thousandth  generation — that  is,  for- 
ever; for  in  the  preceding  verse  it  is  said:  "  Unto 
the  third  and  fourth  generation  of  them  that  hate 
me."  Moses  repeats  the  thought  in  Deuteronomy 
vii.  9:  "Know  therefore  that  the  Lord  thy  God, 


286      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

he  is  God,  the  faithful  God,  which  keepeth  cove- 
nant and  mercy  with  them  that  love  him  and  keep 
his  commandments  to  a  thousand  generations." 
He  does  not  mean  just  a  thousand — no  more,  no 
less — but  it  is  a  definite  number,  and  a  large  one,  to 
express  the  boundlessness  of  God's  mercy  to  them 
that  keep  his  commandments.  The  expression  of 
David  (Ps.  1.  10),  "The  cattle  upon  a  thousand 
hills,"  is  of  a  like  character.  And  again  (Ps.  xc. 
4):  "For  a  thousand  years  in  thy  sight  are  but 
as  yesterday  when  it  is  past/'  Again  (Ps.  xci. 
7):  "A  thousand  shall  fall  at  thy  side,  and  ten 
thousand  at  thy  right  hand.'7  This,  in  fact,  is  a 
favorite  number  to  express  a  large  and  indefinite 
number. 

Strange  as  it  may  appear,  the  passage  under  con- 
sideration is  the  only  one  in  all  the  Bible  in  which 
there  is  any  allusion  to  the  millennium;  and  yet 
no  fact  has  fixed  itself  more  strongly  upon  the 
mind  of  the  Church  than  that  there  is  to  be  a  mil- 
lennium, and  nothing  about  which  there  is  so  much 
indefiniteness.  Some  think  that  it  will  be  before 
Christ's  second  coming;  some,  after.  Some  think 
it  will  be  merely  a  time  of  great  prosperity  in  the 
Church,  when  the  powers  of  darkness  will  give 
way  to  mighty  displays  of  God's  glory  in  the  salva- 
tion of  sinners;  others,  that  the  world  has  been 
divided  in  its  duration  to  seven  thousand  years; 
that  the  first  six  thousand,  now  nearly  at  an  end, 
will  be  succeeded  by  a  Sabbatic  thousand,  when 
the  Church  shall  have  rest  from  her  enemies,  and 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     287 

great  glory  shall  be  vouchsafed  to  it;  and  many 
others.  Ask  these  men  for  their  reasons  for 
their  beliefs,  and  they  can  give  no  good  and 
satisfactory  scriptural  reasons.  Like  that  other 
error,  that  Gabriel  shall  sound  the  last  trumpet, 
for  which  there  is  not  a  shadow  of  proof  from 
the  Scriptures,  men  have  always  talked  of  a  mil- 
lennium; therefore  there  must  be  one.  Now  if 
'we  examine  this  single  passage  in  the  light  of 
the  symbolic  character  of  this  entire  book,  we 
shall  find  that  it  refers  alone  to  the  martyrs  of 
Jesus,  whose  joy  at  the  overthrow  of  the  two  great 
persecuting  powers — Jerusalem  and  pagan  Rome, 
the  powers  that  beheaded  them — and  the  binding 
of  Satan,  who  instigated  these  persecutions,  is  to 
thrill  them  for  an  indefinite  period.  God  gives 
them  this  peculiar  pleasure  because  of  their  faith- 
fulness. Other  dead,  not  of  the  martyrs,  enter 
not  into  this  joy.  "This  is  the  first  resurrection. 
Blessed  and  holy  is  he  that  hath  part  in  the  first 
resurrection:  on  such  the  second  death  hath  no 
power,  but  they  shall  be  priests  of  God  and  of 
Christ,  and  shall  reign  with  him  a  thousand  years." 
Theirs  was  a  hard  death.  In  it  they  exemplified 
the  power  of  the  religion  of  Jesus.  They  proved 
their  confidence  in  the  promises  of  God  of  another 
and  better  life;  and  that  faith  in  Christ  was  the 
very  thing  that  could  give  them  this  life.  Thus 
honoring  God,  God  honors  them  by  revealing  to 
the  Church  and  to  the  world  that  he  was  "  not  un- 
righteous to  forget  their  work.7'  It  is  written: 


288      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

"  If  we  suffer,  we  shall  also  reign  with  him." 
And  again:  "And  if  children,  then  heirs;  heirs  of 
God,  and  joint  heirs  with  Christ;  if  so  be  that  we 
suffer  -with  him,  that  we  may  be  also  glorified  to- 
gether." Peter  says(i  Pet.  iv.  13):  "  But  rejoice, 
inasmuch  as  ye  are  partakers  of  Christ's  sufferings ; 
that,  when  his  glory  shall  be  revealed,  ye  may  be 
glad  also  with  exceeding  joy." 

The  martyr  saints  are  to  be  honored.  God 
makes  them  his  ministers,  symbolized  by  being 
made  priests  of  God  and  of  Christ.  They  also 
sit  upon  the  thrones  spoken  of,  and  reign  with  him 
a  thousand  years.  This  is  all  of  it. 

"And  when  the  thousand  years  are  expired, 
Satan  shall  be  loosed  out  of  his  prison,  and  shall 
go  out  to  deceive  the  nations  which  are  in  the 
four  quarters  of  the  earth,  Gog  and  Magog,  to 
gather  them  together  to  battle:  the  number  of 
whom  is  as  the  sands  of  the  sea.  And  they  went 
up  on  the  breadth  of  the  earth,  and  compassed  the 
camp  of  the  saints  about,  and  the  beloved  city: 
and  fire  came  down  from  God  out  of  heaven,  and 
devoured  them.  And  the  devil  that  deceived  them 
was  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire  and  brimstone,  where 
the  beast  and  the  false  prophet  are,  and  shall  be 
tormented  day  and  night  forever  and  ever." 

This  symbol  would  indicate  that  after  this  long 
period  of  rest  and  rejoicing  at  the  overthrow  of 
the  powers  of  darkness  there  is  yet  to  be  one 
more  blow  from  the  hand  of  God.  The  devil 
had  only  been  shut  up  in  the  bottomless  pit  for  a 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     289 

period.  The  seal  upon  that  pit  was  after  a  time  to 
be  broken,  and  he  loosed  out  of  his  prison.  It 
would  seem  that  the  object  of  this  loosing  is  to  put 
him  in  a  position  to  be  hurled  into  the  lake  of  fire 
and  brimstone.  God  knows  that  all  he  needs  is  an 
opportunity  to  show  his  hand. 

As  the  time  for  the  final  coming  of  Christ  to 
judge  the  quick  and  dead  draws  near  Satan  is 
loosed.  At  once  he  sets  to  work  to  deceive  the  na- 
tions which  are  in  the  four  quarters  of  the  earth. 
Once  more  he  gathers  them  together  to  try  and 
recover  his  lost  fortunes. 

John  seizes  upon  an  Old  Testament  picture, 
where  the  greatest  army  ever  gathered  together  for 
battle  is  mentioned  (Ezek.  xxxviii.,  xxxix.),  Gog 
and  Magog.  These  multiplied  thousands  come  up, 
and  are  wholly  overthrown.  And  to  give  an  idea 
of  their  countless  numbers  and  their  utter  over- 
throw, the  prophet  tells  us  that  the  wood  of  their 
weapons — shields,  bucklers,  bows,  arrows,  hand 
staves,  and  spears — will  serve  the  people  for  fire- 
wood for  seven  years,  and  that  all  Israel  shall  be 
seven  months  in  burying  the  dead  of  their  army. 
They  compassed  the  camp  of  the  saints  about,  and 
the  beloved  city;  but  before  they  had  time  to 
strike  a  blow  fire  came  down  from  God  out  of 
heaven,  and  devoured  them;  and  the  devil  that  de- 
ceived them  was  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire  and  brim- 
stone. This  ends  forever  the  power  of  the  devil 
upon  earth,  and  the  next  symbol  is  that  which  pre- 
sents to  us  the  resurrection  and  the  great  judgment- 
day. 

19 


290     The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

"And  I  saw  a  great  white  throne,  and  him  that 
sat  on  it,  from  whose  face  the  earth  and  the  heav- 
en fled  away;  and  there  was  found  no  place  for 
them.  And  I  saw  the  dead,  small  and  great,  stand 
before  God;  and  the  books  were  opened:  and  an- 
other book  was  opened,  which  is  the  book  of  life: 
and  the  dead  were  judged  out  of  those  things 
which  were  written  in  the  books,  according  to  their 
works.  And  the  sea  gave  up  the  dead  which  were 
in  it;  and  death  and  hell  delivered  up  the  dead 
which  were  in  them :  and  they  were  judged  every 
man  according  to  their  works.  And  death  and 
hell  were  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire.  This  is  the 
second  death.  And  whosoever  was  not  found 
written  in  the  book  of  life  was  cast  into  the  lake  of 
fire." 

It  is  clearly  taught  in  the  scriptures  that  there 
shall  be  a  "  resurrection  of  the  just  and  of  the  unr 
just."  Jesus  said:  " Marvel  not  at  this:  for  the 
hour  is  coming,  in  the  which  all  that  are  in  the 
graves  shall  hear  his  voice,  and  shall  come  -forth; 
they  that  have  done  good,  unto  the  resurrection  of 
life ;  and  they  that  have  done  evil,  unto  the  resur- 
rection of  damnation." 

It  is  also  taught  that  there  shall  be  a  day  of  judg- 
ment following  this  resurrection,  and  that  Jesus  is 
to  be  the  judge.  Paul  says:  "  God  hath  appoint- 
ed a  day,  in  the  which  he  will  judge  the  world  in 
righteousness  by  that  man  whom  he  hath  or- 
dained." And  again:  "  We  must  all  stand  be- 
fore the  judgment-seat  of  Christ." 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     291 

The  symbol  here  used  shows  that  all  the-  dead, 
small  and  great,  shall  stand  before  God.  Even 
the  sea  shall  give  up  the  dead  which  are  in  it,  and 
death  and  hell  (hades,  the  place  of  the  departed) 
shall  make  a  full  deliverance  on  that  day;  and, 
when  emptied,  shall,  as  no  longer  of  any  use,  be 
cast  into  the  lake  of  fire.  The  books  are  opened; 
the  utmost  accuracy  is  to  be  observed;  each  indi- 
vidual is  to  be  examined,  and  then  the  book  of  life 
is  to  be  appealed  to  to  see  if  his  name  is  found 
there ;  if  not,  that  settles  the  matter,  and  he  is  cast 
into  the  lake  of  fire.  This  casting  into  the  lake  of 
fire  is  the  second  death.  It  is  a  final  and  eternal 
separation  from  God  and  the  good. 

In  the  beginning  of  these  revelations,  in  ad- 
dressing the  Church  at  Sardis,  Jesus  promises 
that  "  he  that  overcometh,  the  same  shall  be  clothed 
in  white  raiment;  and  I  will  not  blot  out  his  name 
out  of  the  book  of  life,  but  I  will  confess  his  name 
before  my  Father,  and  before  his  angels." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  New  Heaven  and  the  New  Earth— The  New  Jerusalem — 
The  General  Invitation. 

IN  our  approach  to  these  closing  chapters  of  Rev- 
elation we  must  not  forget  that  this  is  a  book  of 
symbols,  and  that  these  chapters  are  symbolic  as 
well  as  the  rest.  If  we  adhere  strictly  to  this,  we 
will  find  them  a  most  beautiful  and  striking  repre- 
sentation of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  on  earth, 
when  he  had  overthrown  her  foes  and  fully  estab- 
lished the  plan  upon  wThich  he  purposed  to  bring 
the  world  under  his  scepter. 

"And  I  saw  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth:  for 
the  first  heaven  and  the  first  earth  were  passed 
away;  and  there  was  no  more  sea/' 

Isaiah  had  foretold  of  this  time,  and  the  reveal- 
ing angel  applies  this  prophecy  in  these  symbols. 
When  speaking  of  the  Church  of  the  Messiah  that 
should  embrace  the  Gentiles,  he  says:  "For,  be- 
hold, I  create  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth:  and 
the  former  shall  not  be  remembered,  nor  come 
into  mind.  But  be  ye  glad  and  rejoice  forever  in 
that  which  I  create ;  for,  behold,  I  create  Jerusalem 
a  rejoicing,  and  her  people  a  joy.  And  I  will  re- 
joice in  Jerusalem,  and  joy  in  my  people:  and  the 
voice  of  weeping  shall  be  no  more  heard  in  her, 
nor  the  voice  of  crying."  This  is  the  new  heaven 
and  earth  seen  in  the  vision  of  John.  The  Mosaic 
(292) 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     293 

state  of  the  Church  had  passed  away,  and  the 
Christian  state  had  been  established. 

"And  there  was  no  more  sea."  The  sea  repre- 
sents nations.  "The  waters  which  thou  sawest, 
where  the  whore  sitteth,  are  peoples,  and  multi- 
tudes, and  nations,  and  tongues."  (Rev.  xvii. 
15.)  Under  the  first  arrangement  God  had  his 
Church  in  a  nation — the  nation  of  the  Jews — but 
now  the  Church  is  universal,  members  are  taken 
from  all  nations;  and  yet  God  has  no  nation  he 
calls  his  own,  his  peculiar  people.  As  Christ  said, 
"  My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world."  Members  of 
his  Church  can  be  found  among  all  people ;  nor  is 
it  necessary  for  them  to  forswear  allegiance  to 
their  earthly  rulers  to  become  members  of  his 
kingdom.  On  the  other  hand,  all  are  exhorted  to 
be  subject  to  their  e.arthly  rulers.  His  is  not  a  na- 
tional Church. 

"And  I  John  saw  the  holy  city,  new  Jerusalem, 
coming  down  from  God  out  of  heaven,  prepared 
as  a  bride  adorned  for  her  husband." 

This  new  Jerusalem  is  a  symbol  of  the  Church. 
Paul,  speaking  of  it,  says:  "  For  it  is  written,  that 
Abraham  had  two  sons,  the  one  by  a  bondmaid, 
the  other  by  a  free  woman.  But  he  who  was 
of  the  bondwoman  was  born  after  the  flesh:  but 
he  of  the  free  woman  was  by  promise.  Which 
things  are  an  allegory:  for  these  are  the  two  cov- 
nants;  the  one  from  the  Mount  Sinai,  which  gen- 
dereth  to  bondage,  which  is  Agar.  For  this  Agar  is 
Mount  Sinai  in  Arabia,  and  answereth  to  Jerusalem 


294      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

which  now  is,  and  is  in  bondage  with  her  children. 
But  Jerusalem  which  is  above  is  free,  which  is  the 
mother  of  us  all."  (Gal.  iv.  22-26.)  And  again: 
"  But  ye  are  come  unto  Mount  Sion,  and  unto  the 
city  of  the  living  God,  the  heavenly  Jerusalem." 
(Heb.  xii.  22.) 

"  Prepared  as  a  bride  adorned  for  her  husband." 
John  the  Baptist  speaks  of  the  Church  as  the  bride 
and  Jesus  as  the  bridegroom.  (John  iii.  29.) 
Paul  says:  "  I  have  espoused  you  to  one  husband, 
that  I  may  present  you  as  a  chaste  virgin  to 
Christ."  The  Church  must  be  clothed  in  "  the 
beauty  of  holiness."  Christ  is  coming  to  take  his 
bride  to  his  Father's  house,  and  she  must  keep 
herself  unspotted  from  the  world,  loving  her  Lord 
with  all  her  heart. 

"And  I  heard  a  great  voice  out  of  heaven  say- 
ing, Behold,  the  tabernacle  of  God  is  with  men, 
and  he  will  dwell  with  them,  and  they  shall  be  his 
people,  and  God  himself  shall  be  with  them,  and 
be  their  God.  And  God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears 
from  their  eyes;  and  there  shall  be  no  more  death, 
neither  sorrow,  nor  crying,  neither  shall  there  be 
any  more  pain:  for  the  former  things  are  passed 
away.  And  he  that  sat  upon  the  throne  said,  Be- 
hold, I  make  all  things  new.  And  he  said  unto 
me,  Write:  for  these  words  are  true  and  faithful. 
And  he  said  unto  me,  It  is  done.  I  am  Alpha  and 
Omega,  the  beginning  and  the  end.  I  will  give 
unto  him  that  is  athirst  of  the  fountain  of  the  wa- 
ter of  life  freely." 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     295 

The  new  Jerusalem  is  not  taken  from  earth  up 
to  heaven,  but  it  cometh  down  from  God  out  of 
heaven.  It  is  to  be  here  on  earth  for  a  time.  The 
temple  has  been  thrown  down;  Jerusalem  has  been 
destroyed.  And  now  God  sets  up  his  tabernacle 
among  men.  "  The  tabernacle  of  David  which 
had  fallen"  he  had  again  set  up,  "that  the  residue 
of  men  might  seek  after  the  Lord,  and  all  the  Gen- 
tiles, upon  whom  my  name  is  called,  saith  the  Lord, 
who  doeth  all  these  things."  (Acts  xv.  17.)  God 
promises  to  dwell  among  his  people  and  make  them 
his.  The  Gentiles  are  now  to  be  his  people.  "And 
it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  in  the  place  where  it  was 
said  unto  them,  Ye  are  not  my  people;  there  shall 
they  be  called  the  children  of  the  living  God." 

"And  God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their 
eyes."  This  is  a  symbol  of  the  fact  that  the  relig- 
ion of  Jesus  is  to  be  a  solace  for  all  the  woes  of 
earth.  Isaiah,  in  speaking  of  just  this  period, 
says:  "And  the  Lord  God  will  wipe  away  tears 
from  off  all  faces."  (Isa.  xxv.  8.) 

"And  there  shall  be  no  more  death,  neither  sor- 
row, nor  crying,  neither  shall  there  be  any  more 
pain:  for  the  former  things  are  passed  away." 
Taking  this  in  its  symbolic  sense,  we  find  that  death 
is  now  spoken  of  as  sleef,  because  Jesus  has  given 
promise  of  a  resurrection. 

"  I  would  not  have  you  to  be  ignorant,  brethren, 
concerning  them  which  are  asleep,  that  ye  sorrow 
not,  even  as  others  which  have  no  hope."  The 
hope  of  living  again  takes  away  the  sorrow  and 


296      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

lifts  us  above  pain — the  sorrow  and  pain  without 
hope. 

"And  he  that  sat  upon  the  throne  said,  Behold, 
I  make  all  things  new.  And  he  said  unto  me, 
Write:  for  these  words  are  true  and  faithful." 

This  is  a  moral  creation,  not  a  physical.  Isaiah 
foretold  this.  "For  the  Lord  God  shall  call  his 
servants  by  another  name:  that  he  who  blesseth 
himself  in  the  earth  shall  bless  himself  in  the  God 
of  truth ;  and  he  that  sweareth  in  the  earth  shall 
swear  by  the  God  of  truth;  because  the  former 
troubles  are  forgotten,  and  because  they  are  hid 
from  mine  eyes.  For,  behold,  I  create  new  heav- 
ens and  a  new  earth:  and  the  former  shall  not  be 
remembered,  nor  come  into  mind.  But  be  ye  glad 
and  rejoice  forever  in  that  which  I  create :  for,  be- 
hold, I  create  Jerusalem  a  rejoicing,  and  her  peo- 
ple a  joy.  And  I  will  rejoice  in  Jerusalem,  and 
joy  in  my  people :  and  the  voice  of  weeping  shall 
be  no  more  heard  in  her,  nor  the  voice  of  crying.'* 
(Isa.  Ixv.  15-19.)  Here  the  new  name,  "Chris- 
tian," given  to  his  people  is  spoken  of.  God  shall 
be  their  God,  and  they  shall  be  his  people.  As 
the  bride,  they  shall  take  his  name,  "  Christian." 

The  New  Jerusalem  is  also  spoken  of  as  the  joy 
of  the  Lord.  All  things  are  new.  Paul  says:  "  If 
any  man  be  in  Christ,  he  is  a  new  creature :  old 
things  are  passed  away;  behold,  all  things  are  be- 
come new."  (2  Cor.  v.  17.)  "  For  in  Christ  Jesus 
neither  circumcision  availeth  any  thing,  nor  uncir- 
cumcision,  but  a  new  creature"  (Gal.  vi.  15-) 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     297 


"And  he  said  unto  me,  It  is  done.  I  am  Alpha 
and  Omega,  the  beginning  and  the  end.  I  will 
give  unto  him  that  is  athirst  of  the  fountain  of  the 
water  of  life  freely.  He  that  overcometh  shall  in- 
herit all  things;  and  I  will  be  his  God,  and  he 
shall  be  my  son." 

In  the  same  grand  prophecy  of  Isaiah  we  have 
the  invitation  :  "Ho,  every  one  that  thirsteth,  come 
ye  to  the  waters."  And  Jesus  exclaimed:  "If  any 
man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto  me,  and  drink." 
And  he  promised  to  give  to  the  woman  of  Samaria 
water  of  which  if  she  drank  she  should  never  thirst. 

"  Shall  inherit  all  things."  Paul  tells  us:  "All 
things  are  yours,  .  .  .  and  ye  are  Christ's; 
and  Christ  is  God's."  "  Having  nothing,  yet 
possessing  all  things." 

"I  will  be  his  God."  We  become  the  children 
of  God.  By  the  spirit  which  makes  us  new  creat- 
ures in  Christ  we  are  enabled  to  cry  Abba,  Father. 
"  The  Spirit  itself  beareth  witness  with  our  spirit, 
that  we  are  the  children  of  God:  and  if  children, 
then  heirs;  heirs  of  God,  and  joint  heirs  with 
Christ."  Thus  we  as  the  sons  of  God  inherit  all 
things.  How  very  plain  it  is  that  this  beautiful 
symbol  refers  to  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  as  it 
now  exists  ! 

"  But  the  fearful,  and  unbelieving,  and  the 
abominable*  and  murderers,  and  whoremongers, 
and  sorcerers,  and  idolaters,  and  all  liars,  shall 
have  their  part  in  the  lake  which  burneth  with  fire 
and  brimstone:  which  is  the  second  death." 


298      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

Here  are  pointed  out  those  who  are  excluded 
from  the  blessings  of  the  New  Jerusalem.  They 
shall  follow  the  beast,  the  false  prophet,  and  the 
dragon  into  the  lake  burning  with  fire  and  brim- 
stone. Fearful  fate!  From  this  second  death 
there  is  no  resurrection.  When  the  seal  of  the  sec- 
ond death  is  set  upon  the  soul,  hope  dies,  and  the 
soul  is  damned  forever. 

"And  there  came  unto  me  one  of  the  seven  an- 
gels which  had  the  seven  vials  full  of  the  seven 
last  plagues,  and  talked  with  me,  saying,  Come 
hither,  I  will  show  thee  the  bride,  the  Lamb's 
wife." 

This  angel  comes  now  to  show  to  John  more  in 
detail  the  glorious  city,  the  New  Jerusalem.  The 
Church,  as  we  have  seen,  is  the  Lamb's  wife.  So 
the  revelation  now  to  be  made  is  with  reference  to 
the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ ;  and  let  us  bear  in  mind 
that  it  is  the  Church  on  earth,  not  in  heaven. 

"And  he  carried  me  away  in  the  spirit  to  a  great 
and  high  mountain,  and  showed  me  that  great  city, 
the  holy  Jerusalem,  descending  out  of  heaven  from 
God,  having  the  glory  of  God:  and  her  light  was 
like  unto  a  stone  most  precious,  even  like  a  jasper 
stone,  clear  as  crystal;  and  had  a  wall  great  and 
high,  and  had  twelve  gates,  and  at  the  gates  twelve 
angels,  and  names  written  thereon,  which  are  the 
names  of  the  twelve  tribes  of  the  children  of  Israel: 
on  the  east  three  gates ;  on  the  north  three  gates ; 
on  the  south  three  gates;  and  on  the  west  three 
gates.  And  the  wall  of  the  city  had  twelve  foun- 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     299 

dations,  and  in  them  the  names  of  the  twelve  apos- 
tles of  the  Lamb." 

As  the  first  or  material  Jerusalem  was  built  upon 
a  high  mountain,  so  this  symbolic  city  is  upon  a 
great  and  high  mountain.  In  a  subsequent  part  of 
this  description  it  is  said,  "for  the  Lord  God  giv- 
eth  them  light."  God  is  the  light  of  his  Church; 
and  the  light  is  glorious,  compared  here  to  the  light 
of  a  precious  stone  clear  as  crystal.  The  wall  is  a 
symbol  of  God's  protecting  care.  It  is  said:  "  In 
that  day  [the  very  time  of  which  we  speak]  shall 
this  song  be  sung  in  the  land  of  Judah ;  We  have 
a  strong  city;  salvation  will  God  appoint  for  walls 
and  bulwarks.  Open  ye  the  gates,  that  the  right- 
eous nation  which  keepeth  the  truth  may  enter  in." 
(Isa.  xxvi.  i,  2.)  And  again:  "Violence  shall  no 
more  be  heard  in  thy  land,  wasting  nor  destruction 
within  thy  borders;  but  thou  shalt  call  thy  walls 
Salvation,  and  thy  gates  Praise.  The  sun  shall  be 
no  more  thy  light  by  day;  neither  for  brightness 
shall  the  moon  give  light  unto  thee :  but  the  Lord 
shall  be  unto  thee  an  everlasting  light,  and  thy  God 
thy  glory."  (Isa.  Ix.  18,  19.) 

This  last  expression  is  the  very  language  of  the 
symbol,  "having  the  glory  of  God."  Both  the 
prophecy  and  the  symbol  refer  to  the  same  thing, 
and  nothing  is  plainer  than  that  Isaiah  is  speaking 
of  the  Christian  state  of  the  Church  in  all  the  latter 
part  of  his  prophecy.  Jesus  himself  at  Nazareth, 
when  he  read  this  part  of  Isaiah,  said:  "This  day 
is  this  scripture  fulfilled  in  your  hearing." 


300     The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

"And  had  twelve  gates,"  three  on  each  side. 
These  gates  are  for  the  admission  of  those  who 
desire  to  become  citizens  of  this  city.  They  may 
come  from  any  quarter  or  from  any  nation,  and 
will  be  admitted,  for  "in  him  shall  all  nations  be 
blessed."  The  twelve  angels  represent  the  twelve 
apostles.  They  were  sent  of  God  for  this  purpose. 
Jesus  said:  "  Whosesoever  sins  ye  remit,  they  are 
remitted  unto  them ;  and  whosesoever  sins  ye  retain, 
they  are  retained;"  "and  whatsoever  thou  shalt 
bind  on  earth  shall  be  bound  in  heaven ;  and  what- 
soever thou  shalt  loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed  in 
heaven." 

Jesus  commits  the  management  of  the  affairs  of 
his  Church  to  the  apostles  when  he  ascends  on 
high,  and  these  are  typical  of  his  true  ministers  in 
all  ages.  They  stand  at  the  gates  to  admit  those 
who  come  to  Christ.  The  Christians  are  also  still 
known  as  the  true  Israel  of  God:  "Know  ye 
therefore  that  they  which  are  of  faith,  the  same  are 
the  children  of  Abraham."  The  Christian  Church 
is  still  the  children  of  Israel. 

"And  the  wall  of  the  city  had  twelve  founda- 
tions, and  in  them  the  names  of  the  twelve  apostles 
of  the  Lamb." 

Paul,  when  writing  to  the  Ephesians,  who  were 
Gentiles,  says:  "Now  therefore  ye  are  no  more 
strangers  and  foreigners,  but  fellow-citizens  with 
the  saints,  and  of  the  household  of  God;  and  are 
built  upon  the  foundation  of  the  apostles  and 
prophets,  Jesus  Christ  himself  being  the  chief  cor- 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     301 

ner-stone."  "And  he  that  talked  with  me  had  a 
golden  reed  to  measure  the  city,  and  the  gates 
thereof,  and  the  wall  thereof.  And  the  city  lieth 
foursquare,  and  the  length  is  as  large  as  the 
breadth:  and  he  measured  the  city  with  the  reed, 
twelve  thousand  furlongs  (fifteen  hundred  miles). 
The  length  and  the  breadth  and  the  height  of  it  are 
equal.  And  he  measured  the  wall  thereof,  a  hun- 
dred and  forty  and  four  cubits,  according  to  the 
measure  of  a  man,  that  is,  of  the  angel." 

This  symbol  of  the  city  is  taken  from  the  Holy 
of  Holies  of  the  temple,  which  was  a  perfect  cube. 
"  The  length  and  the  breadth  and  the  height  of  it 
were  equal." 

"And  the  building  of  the  wall  of  it  was  of  jasper: 
and  the  city  was  pure  gold,  like  unto  clear  glass. 
And  the  foundations  of  the  wall  of  the  city  were 
garnished  with  all  manner  of  precious  stones.  The 
first  foundation  was  jasper;  the  second,  sapphire; 
the  third,  a  chalcedony;  the  fourth,  an  emerald; 
the  fifth,  sardonyx;  the  sixth,  sardius;  the  seventh, 
chrysolite;  the  eighth,  beryl;  the  ninth,  a  topaz; 
the  tenth,  a  chrysoprasus ;  the  eleventh,  a  jacinth; 
the  twelfth,  an  amethyst.  And  the  twelve  gates 
were  twelve  pearls ;  every  several  gate  was  of  one 
pearl:  and  the  street  of  the  city  was  pure  gold,  as 
if  it  were  transparent  glass." 

That  no  one  might  misinterpret  this  symbol,  John 
constantly  refers  to  the  figures  used  by  Isaiah  in  de- 
scribing the  Church.  Isaiah  says:  "O  thou  af- 
flicted, tossed  with  tempest,  and  not  comforted,  be- 


302      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

hold,  I  will  lay  thy  stones  with  fair  colors,  and  lay 
thy  foundation  with  sapphires.  And  I  will  make 
thy  windows  of  agates,  and  thy  gates  of  carbuncles, 
and  all  thy  borders  of  pleasant  stones." 

The  riches  of  the  world  are  laid  under  tribute  to 
give  expression  to  the  glory  and  beauty  of  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ. 

"And  I  saw  no  temple  therein:  for  the  Lord 
God  Almighty  and  the  Lamb  are  the  temple  of  it. 
And  the  city  had  no  need  of  the  sun,  neither  of 
the  moon,  to  shine  in  it:  for  the  glory  of  God  did 
lighten  it,  and  the  Lamb  is  the  light  thereof." 

Under  this  new  arrangement,  there  are  no  fixed 
places  where  alone  God  can  be  worshiped,  as  was 
the  case  in  Jerusalem;  but  as  Jesus  said  to  the 
woman  of  Samaria:  "Woman,  believe  me,  the 
hour  cometh,  when  ye  shall  neither  in  this  mount- 
ain, nor  yet  at  Jerusalem,  worship  the  Father. 
.  But  the  hour  cometh,  and  now  is,  when 
the  true  worshipers  shall  worship  the  Father  in 
spirit  and  in  truth:  for  the  Father  seeketh  such 
to  worship  him.  God  is  a  spirit:  and  they 
that  worship  him  must  worship  him  in  spirit  and 
in  truth." 

John  saw  no  temple,  for  there  was  none.  Where- 
ever  men  might  be,  they  could  worship  God;  for 
he  is  a  Spirit,  and  is  equally  present  everywhere. 
When  Jesus  sent  his  disciples  into  all  the  world,  he 
said:  "Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the 
end  of  the  world."  This  mighty  Holy  of  Holies  is 
accessible  to  all.  "Jesus  said:  I  am  the  light  of  the 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     303 

world :  he  that  f  olloweth  me  shall  not  walk  in  dark- 
ness, but  shall  have  the  light  of  life."  "  In  him  was 
life,  and  the  life  was  the  light  of  men."  "That 
was  the  true  light  which  lighteneth  every  man  that 
cometh  into  the  world."  "And  the  nations  of 
them  which  are  saved  shall  walk  in  the  light  of  it : 
and  the  kings  of  the  earth  do  bring  their  glory  and 
honor  into  it.  And  the  gates  of  it  shall  not  be  shut 
at  all  by  day;  for  there  shall  be  no  night  there. 
And  they  shall  bring  the  glory  and  honor  of  the 
nations  into  it. 

Jesus  is  the  Sun  of  righteousness,  whose  healing 
wings  are  spread  over  all  the  earth.  Isaiah  says: 
"And  the  Gentiles  shall  come  to  thy  light,  and 
kings  to  the  brightness  of  thy  rising."  (Isa.  Ix.  3.) 
And  again:  "  I  will  also  give  thee  for  a  light  to 
the  Gentiles,  that  thou  mayest  be  my  salvation  unto 
the  end  of  the  earth."  (Isa.  xlix.  6.)  And  again: 
"Who  are  these  that  fly  as  a  cloud,  and  as  the 
doves  to  their  windows?  Surely  the  isles  shall 
wait  for  me,  and  the  ships  of  Tarshish  first,  to 
bring  thy  sons  from  far,  their  silver  and  their  gold 
with  them,  unto  the  name  of  the  Lord  thy  God, 
and  to  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  because  he  hath 
glorified  thee.  And  the  sons  of  strangers  shall 
build  up  thy  walls,  and  their  kings  shall  minister 
unto  thee:  for  in  my  wrath  I  smote  thee,  but  in 
my  favor  have  I  had  mercy  on  thee.  Therefore 
thy  gates  shall  be  open  continually;  they  shall  not 
be  shut  day  nor  night;  that  men  may  bring  unto 
thee  the  forces  of  the  Gentiles,  and  that  their  kings 


304      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

may  be  brought."  (Isa.  Ix.  8-n.)  This  passage 
is  a  clear  explanation  of  this  symbol. 

"And  there  shall  in  nowise  enter  into  it  any 
thing  that  defileth,  neither  whatsoever  worketh 
abomination,  or  maketh  a  lie:  but  they  which  are 
written  in  the  Lamb's  book  of  life." 

God's  children  must  be  pure  and  holy,  for  with- 
out holiness  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord.  Men  with- 
out spiritual  life  may  unite  with  the  visible  Church, 
but  only  those  who  have  been  regenerated  by  the 
Holy  Ghost  shall  be  numbered  among  the  true  fol- 
lowers of  God.  Paul  says:  "The  foundation  of 
God  standeth  sure,  having  this  seal,  The  Lord 
knoweth  them  that  are  his.  And,  Let  every  one 
that  nameth  the  name  of  Christ  depart  from  iniqui- 
ty." (2  Tim.  ii.  19.)  Only  those  born  of  the 
Spirit  have  their  names  "written  in  the  Lamb's 
book  of  life." 

"And  he  showed  me  a  pure  river  of  water  of 
life,  clear  as  crystal,  proceeding  out  of  the  throne 
of  God  and  of  the  Lamb.  In  the  midst  of  the 
street  of  it,  and  on  either  side  of  the  river,  was 
there  the  tree  of  life,  which  bare  twelve  manner  of 
fruits,  and  yielded  her  fruit  every  month:  and  the 
leaves  of  the  tree  were  for  the  healing  of  the  na- 
tions." 

This  river  of  life  proceeds  from  the  throne  of 
God  and  of  the  Lamb.  God  only  through  Jesus 
Christ  can  give  life  to  dead  souls.  There  is  none 
other  name  under  heaven  given  among  men  where- 
by they  can  be  saved.  God  and  God  only  is  the 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     305 

author  of  salvation.  The  tree  of  life  is  to  fur- 
nish food  to  the  saints,  and  the  leaves  are  for  the 
healing  of  the  nations.  This  cannot  be  a  descrip- 
tion of  heaven,  for  there  is  no  need  of  healing 
there.  Man  lost  his  right  to  life  by  the  transgres- 
sion, and  Jesus  restores  him  to  his  lost  inheritance. 
"  You  hath  he  quickened  [made  alive],  who  were 
dead  in  trespasses  and  sins."  The  blessed  gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ,  like  the  leaves  of  the  tree  of  life,  is 
for  the  healing  of  the  nations. 

"And  there  shall  be  no  more  curse:  but  the 
throne  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb  shall  be  in  it ;  and 
his  servants  shall  serve  him:  and  they  shall  see 
his  face;  and  his  name  shall  be  in  their  foreheads. 
And  there  shall  be  no  night  there;  and  they  need 
no  candle,  neither  light  of  the  sun;  for  the  Lord 
God  giveth  them  light:  and  they  shall  reign  for- 
ever and  ever." 

The  manifest  presence  of  God  and  the  Lamb  in 
his  Church  shall  be  a  guaranty  from  every  curse. 
His  people  need  fear  nothing. 

"  Christ  hath  redeemed  us  from  the  curse  of  the 
law,  being  made  a  curse  for  us:  for  it  is  written, 
Cursed  is  every  one  that  hangeth  on  a  tree:  that 
the  blessing  of  Abraham  might  come  on  the  Gen- 
tiles through  Jesus  Christ;  that  we  might  receive 
the  promise  of  the  Spirit  through  faith."  (Gal. 
iii.  13,  14.) 

"For  the  law  of  the  Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus 
hath  made  me  free  from  the  law  of  sin  and  death. 
For  what  the  law  could  not  do,  in  that  it  was  weak 
20 


306     The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

through  the  flesh,  God  [did  by]  sending  his  own 
Son  in  the  likeness  of  sinful  flesh,  and  for  sin,  con- 
demned sin  in  the  flesh."  (Rom.  viii.  2,  3.) 

No  other  sacrifice  is  needed  to  put  away  the 
curse,  hence  no  more  need  of  a  temple,  of  typical 
sacrifices.  The  work  has  been  done,  "and  there 
shall  be  no  more  curse." 

"And  his  s'ervants  shall  serve  him."  The  grand 
work  of  spreading  the  gospel  to  the  ends  of  the 
earth  is  committed  to  the  hands  of  his  servants. 
"And  they  shall  see  his  face."  Jesus  has  prom- 
ised to  be  with  his  servants  "  even  to  the  end  of 
the  world."  His  presence  is  always  manifest  to 
his  faithful  servants. 

"And  his  name  shall  be  in  their  foreheads." 
When  one  is  baptized  with  water,  the  name  of  the 
"Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost"  is  written  upon 
the  forehead.  This  is  the  outward  sign  of  the 
inward  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  whereby  we 
know  ourselves  as  the  children  of  God.  Jesus  is 
present  with  us  in  the  person  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  by 
which  God's  name  is  written  on  our  foreheads. 
The  work  of  Jesus  performed  by  his  servants  is  to 
be  a  continual  service. 

"And  there  shall  be  no  night  there."  This  is  a 
symbol  of  the  continued  work  of  the  Church. 

"And  they  need  no  candle,  neither  light  of  the 
sun."  It  is  "  not  by  might,  nor  by  power,  but  by 
my  Spirit,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts."  The  work  of 
salvation  is  accomplished  through  no  earthly  agen- 
cy. Men  are  born  of  the  spirit,  and  this  promise 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     307 

of  the  divine  presence  and  help  is  to  extend  to  the 
end,  for  "they  [the  servants  of  God]  shall  reign 
forever  and  ever." 

This  closes  the  vision,  and  the  angel  closes  by 
saying:  "  These  sayings  are  faithful  and  true:  and 
the  Lord  God  of  the  holy  prophets  sent  his  angel 
to  show  unto  his  servants  the  things  which  must 
shortly  be  done.  Behold,  I  come  quickly:  blessed 
is  he  that  keepeth  the  sayings  of  the  prophecy  of 
this  book." 

These  are  the  final  remarks  of  the  revealing  an- 
gel, and  he  tells  John  plainly  that  he  has  shown 
his  servants  the  things  which  must  shortly  be  done, 
not  things  that  are  to  transpire  from  one  to  two 
thousand  years  after.  Shortly  meant  the  same  in 
the  days  of  John  that  it  means  now,  and  the  things 
that  had  been  revealed  would  shortly  be  done.  For 
instance,  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  took  place 
in  the  year  67,  just  after  the  Revelation  was  writ- 
ten, and  the  destruction  of  Rome  followed  in  about 
three  years.  When  the  Revelation  began,  the  very 
first  utterance  is:  "  The  Revelation  of  Jesus  Christ, 
which  God  gave  unto  him,  to  show  unto  his  serv- 
vants  things  which  must  shortly  come  to  pass." 

"  Behold,  I  come  quickly."  This  second  com- 
ing of  Christ  to  judge  the  two  guilty  nations,  and 
to  destroy  them,  was  near  at  hand;  and  that  his 
servants  might  know  of  it,  and  be  ready  when  the 
signs  pointed  out  should  appear,  to  fly  to  a  place 
of  safety,  Jesus  Christ  sent  his  angel  to  show  unto 
them  the  things  that  must  shortly  be  done.  The 


308      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

warning  note  is  sounded  at  the  beginning,  and 
when  the  grand  panorama  had  passed  in  review, 
he  again  calls  out  to  them:  "Behold,  I  come 
quickly:  blessed  is  he  that  keepeth  the  sayings  of 
the  prophecy  of  this  book."  In  other  words,  take 
warning,  and  be  ready  when  he  shall  come. 

"And  I  John  saw  these  things,  and  heard  them. 
And  when  I  had  heard  and  seen,  I  fell  down  to 
worship  before  the  feet  of  the  angel  which  showed 
me  these  things.  Then  saith  he  unto  me,  See  thou 
do  it  not :  for  I  am  thy  fellow-servant,  and  of  thy 
brethren  the  prophets,  and  of  them  which  keep  the 
sayings  of  this  book:  worship  God." 

No  doubt  John,  deeply  impressed  with  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  angel  and  the  wonderful  revela- 
tions he  had  made,  mistook  him  for  the  Son  of 
man,  and  fell  at  his  feet  to  worship.  Rut  he  is  in- 
formed that  he  is  but  a  fellow-servant  of  his,  and 
not  to  be  worshiped. 

"And  he  saith  unto  me,  Seal  not  the  sayings  of 
the  prophecy  of  this  book:  for  the  time  is  at 
hand." 

The  things  foretold  in  the  prophecy  of  this  book 
were  so  near  at  hand  that  John  is  commanded  to 
leave  it  open;  in  other  words,  not  to  seal  them. 
When  Daniel  prophesied,  the  revealing  spirit  told 
him  to  6(  shut  thou  up  the  vision ;  for  it  shall  be  for 
many  days."  (Dan.  viiL  26.)  And  again:  "Shut 
up  the  words,  and  seal  the  book,  even  to  the  time 
of  the  end."  Why  was  he  to  seal  his  book?  Be- 
cause the  time  was  long.  There  was  not  to  be  an 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     309 

immediate  fulfillment — "it  shall  be  for  many 
days.''  But  the  time  of  the  visions  of  John  were 
at  hand. 

This  clearly  sets  aside  all  those  systems  of  inter- 
pretation of  this  book  that  spread  the  visions  over 
centuries,  even  down  to  the  present  time.  The 
Churches  scarcely  had  time  to  read  and  to  hear 
read  the  sayings  of  the  prophecy  of  his  book  be- 
fore the  rider  upon  the  white  horse  drew  his  sword 
and  sounded  the  charge.  John  was  to  write  the 
book,  and  send  it  at  once  to  the  seven  Churches; 
and  "  blessed  is  he  that  readeth,  and  they  that 
hear  the  words  of  this  prophecy,  and  keep  those 
things  which  are  written  therein:  for  the  time  is 
at  hand."  (Rev.  i.  3.)  So  short  was  the  time 
that  there  was  no  time  for  change  of  relations. 

"  He  that  is  unjust,  let  him  be  unjust  still:  and 
he  which  is  filthy,  let  him  be  filthy  still:  and  he 
that  is  righteous,  let  him  be  righteous  still:  and  he 
that  is  holy,  let  him  be  holy  still.  And,  behold,  I 
come  quickly;  and  my  reward  is  with  me,  to  give 
every  man  according  as  his  work  shall  be." 

The  revelation  was  not  given  that  men  might 
change  their  relation  to  God,  for  all  had  had  the 
gospel  preached  unto  them.  It  was  given  that  his 
people  might  prepare  for  the  coming  calamities  and 
seek  a  place  of  safety;  which,  as  we  have  learned, 
they  did,  fleeing  to  Pella  when  Jerusalem  was 
overthrown.  They  were  also  warned  to  come  out 
of  the  devoted  city  of  Rome  when  the  judgments  of 
Almighty  God  were  about  to  fall  upon  it. 


3io     The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

"I  am  Alpha  and  Omega,  the  beginning  and  the 
end,  the  first  and  the  last." 

Jesus  would  have  his  people  know  that  he  is  the 
same  that  appeared  in  such  splendor  to  John  at  the 
beginning.  There  he  says:  "I  am  Alpha  and 
Omega,  the  beginning  and  the  ending,  saith  the 
Lord,  which  is,  and  which  was,  and  which  is  to 
come,  the  Almighty."  (Rev.  i.  8.) 

"  Blessed  are  they  that  do  his  commandments, 
that  they  may  have  right  to  the  tree  of  life,  and 
may  enter  in  through  the  gates  into  the  city.  For 
without  are  dogs,  and  sorcerers,  and  whoremongers, 
and  murderers,  and  idolaters,  and  whosoever  lov- 
eth  and  maketh  a  lie." 

The  calamities  that  are  coming  are  not  intended 
for  his  people,  those  that  keep  his  commandments. 
They  are  to  still  have  a  place  in  his  Church,  still 
to  eat  of  the  tree  of  life.  He  had  promised  in  the 
beginning:  "To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  give 
to  eat  of  the  tree  of  life,  which  is  in  the  midst  of 
the  paradise  of  God."  (Rev.  ii.  7.) 

He  repeats  the  promises.  They  shall  also  have 
a  place  in  the  New  Jerusalem,  among  the  pure  and 
holy;  while  without  are  dogs,  and  sorcerers,  and 
all  other  abominable  and  unholy  people. 

"  I  Jesus  have  sent  mine  angel  to  testify  unto 
you  these  things  in  the  Churches.  I  am  the  root 
and  the  offspring  of  David,  and  the  bright  and 
morning  star." 

By  this  expression  Jesus  himself  unites  this 
revelation  into  one  grand  whole.  It  begins  with 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     311 

letters  to  the  Churches,  and  now  he  declares  that 
he  had  "  sent  his  angel  to  testify  unto  you  these 
things  in  the  Churches."  This  Jesus  is  the  blessed 
Messiah  of  Jews  and  Christians.  He  is  the  "root 
and  the  offspring  of  David,  and  the  bright  and 
morning  star."  As  dwellers  in  the  New  Jerusa- 
lem, or  as  members  of  his  Church,  they  are  now 
to  go  forth  to  work  for  the  salvation  of  the  world. 

"And  the  Spirit  and  the  bride  say,  Come.  And 
let  him  that  heareth  say,  Come.  And  let  him  that 
is  athirst  come.  And  whosoever-will,  let  him  take 
the  water  of  life  freely." 

The  Church,  now  freed  from  the  incubus  of  the 
two  great  persecuting  powers,  is  to  offer  life  and 
salvation  to  every  creature.  The  Spirit  and  the 
bride  (the  Spirit  and  the  Church)  give  a  cordial 
invitation,  and  cry,  "Come."  Any  that  hear  are 
included,  especially  he  that  is  athirst,  and  whoso- 
ever will  can  come  to  this  river  of  life  that  flows 
out  of  the  throne  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb. 
Blessed  invitation!  It  is  as  wide  as  the  world.  It 
is  the  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God. 

"  For  I  testify  unto  every  man  that  heareth  the 
words  of  the  prophecy  of  this  book,  If  any  man 
shall  add  unto  these  things,  God  shall  add  unto 
him  the  plagues  that  are  written  in  this  book:  and 
if  any  man  shall  take  away  from  the  words  of  the 
book  of  this  prophecy,  God  shall  take  away  his 
part  out  of  the  book  of  life,  and  out  of  the  holy 
city,  and  from  the  things  which  are  written  in  this 
book." 


312      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

So  much  was  dependent  upon  this  revelation — 
especially  the  safety  of  his  people  in  the  midst 
of  the  awful  calamities  that  were  to  befall  the  na- 
tions, and  they  were  so  intimately  involved  that  the 
threats  of  this  verse  are  spoken  against  him  who 
shall  alter  in  any  particular  the  things  that  are  writ- 
ten therein.  It  was  a  message  from  Jesus  to  his 
people,  who  were  soon  to  witness  such  calamities 
as  earth  had  never  seen,  and  they  must  know  just 
how  and  when  to  act.  Either  precipitancy  or  de- 
lay would  be  fatal.  Hence  the  frequent  warning: 
"  He  that  hath  an  ear  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit 
saith  to  the  Churches." 

"He  which  testifieth  these  things  saith,  Surely  I 
come  quickly:  Amen.  Even  so,  come,  Lord 
Jesus.  The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be 
with  you  all.  Amen." 

Here  again  the  warning  of  the  speedy  coming 
of  Christ  is  given;  and  John,  it  would  seem,  adds, 
"Even  so,  come,  Lord  Jesus;"  and  then  pro- 
nounces^the  benediction:  "The  grace  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  be  with  you  all.  Amen." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Folly  of  Modern  Adventism — Christ  to  Remain  in  Heaven 
to  the  Judgment — Mistakes  of  Modern  Adventists. 

THE  idea  that  Jesus  Christ  will  ever  come  in 
the  flesh  again  to  earth  and  reign  for  a  thou- 
sand years,  or  for  any  period  of  time,  is  utterly  fal- 
lacious and  unworthy  of  our  Saviour.  Besides, 
the  teachings  of  the  Scriptures  go  solidly  against  it. 
And  yet  in  almost  every  period  of  the  world's  his- 
tory from  the  ascension  of  Christ  to  the  present 
men  have  been  expecting  and  predicting  it.  Even 
in  the  days  of  the  Apostle  Paul  men  were  looking 
for  the  coming  of  Christ,  and  were  troubling  the 
Church  with  their  views;  and  some  of  them  did 
not  scruple  to  write  a  letter  in  the  name  of  Paul, 
setting  forth  their  peculiar  views,  as  we  learn  from 
an  expression  in  Paul's  Second  Epistle  to  the  Thes- 
salonians  (ii.  I,  2),  in  which  he  says:  "  Now  we 
beseech  you,  brethren,  by  the  coming  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  by  our  gathering  together  unto 
him,  that  ye  be  not  soon  shaken  in  mind,  or  be 
troubled,  neither  by  spirit,  nor  byword9nor&ytet 
ter  as  from  us,  as  that  the  day  of  Christ  is  at 
hand." 

These  men  claimed  to  have  a  revelation  from 
the  Spirit  on  this  subject.  They  preached  it  and, 
as  we  have  said,  forged  a  letter  in  the  name  of 
Paul,  in  which  they  made  him  to  substantiate  their 

(313) 


314      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

views.  From  that  time  to  the  present  men  have 
been  urging  these  views  upon  the  Church.  They 
claim  that  Christ  will  come,  that  the  righteous  dead 
will  be  raised,  and  those  that  are  looking  for  his 
coming  will  be  gathered  together  unto  him;  that 
he  will  set  up  his  throne  somewhere,  perhaps  at  Je- 
rusalem, and  will  reign  here  on  earth  for  a  thou- 
sand years.  This  we  say  is  utterly  unworthy  of 
Christ,  and  has  not  a  particle  of  support  from  the 
Scripture. 

Just  before  the  death  of  Christ  he  said  to  his  dis- 
ciples: "  It  is  expedient  for  you  that  I  go  away: 
for  if  I  go  not  away,  the  Comforter  will  not  come 
unto  you;  but  if  I  depart,  I  will  send  him  unto 
you." 

While  Jesus  was  here  in  the  flesh  his  presence 
was  restricted  to  a  favored  few.  But  few  could 
see  him ;  but  few  could  hear  him.  It  took  time  for 
him  to  go  from  place  to  place.  His  Church  after 
his  death  was  not  to  be  confined  to  the  narrow  lim- 
its of  Palestine,  but  it  was  to  take  in  the  world: 
"All  nations  shall  serve  him."  Hence  it  was  expe- 
dient that  he  go  away;  for  upon  his  going  depend- 
ed the  coming  of  the  Spirit,  whose  presence  was 
not  to  be  limited  by  time  or  space.  He  was  simply 
omnipresent,  and  of  never-waning,  never-wearying 
energy.  He  could  be  in  every  land  and  deal  with 
every  heart  at  once ;  and  as  the  Christians  were  to 
be  co-workers  with  Christ,  the  increase  of  the 
Church  would  only  augment  the  power  of  the  Spir- 
it for  the  accomplishment  of  good. 


'The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     315 

We  gather  from  this  last  conversation  of  Jesus 
with  his  disciples  that  his  presence  in  heaven  as  an 
advocate  with  the  Father  was  necessary,  if  not  in- 
dispensable, to  the  presence  of  the  Spirit  upon 
earth.  If  he  went  not  away,  the  Spirit  would  not 
come.  And  is  not  the  presence  of  Jesus  in  heaven 
to-day  as  indispensable  to  the  presence  of  the 
Spirit  upon  earth  as  at  any  time  in  the  history  of 
the  world  ? 

What  folly  to  wish  for  Jesus  in  the  flesh  here  on 
the  earth !  How  many  multiplied  millions  would 
never  see  him !  And  then,  in  comparison  with  the 
constant,  abiding  presence  of  the  Spirit,  how  unsat- 
isfactory it  would  be  for  the  most  favored  one  to 
catch  a  sight  of  him  now  and  then,  and  hear  but  a 
word  or  two  from  his  lips  while  crowded  from  his 
presence  by  the  surging  multitudes  that  would  press 
upon  him  by  night  and  by  day !  O  it  is  a  thousand 
times  better  for  us  to  have  Jesus  praying  for  us  in 
heaven  than  to  have  him  reigning  here  on  earth, 
even  under  the  most  favorable  circumstances.  But 
the  Scriptures  are  very  explicit  on  the  fact  that 
Christ's  place  is  in  heaven, and  will  be  to  the  end  of 
time.  Peter,  in  preaching  to  the  Jews,  tells  them 
that  it  had  been  predicted  of  Jesus  that  "  the  heav- 
ens must  receive  [him]  until  the  time  of  the  resti- 
tution of  all  things." 

-  We  are  taught  that  when  Christ  comes  it  will  be 
to  judge  the  world.  In  the  First  Epistle  to  the  Thes- 
salonians  Paul  tells  us  that  "  the  Lord  himself  shall 
descend  from  heaven  with  a  shout,  with  the  voice  of 


316      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

the  archangel,  and  with  the  trump  of  God:  and 
the  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first;  then  we  which 
are  alive  and  remain  shall  be  caught  up  together 
with  them  in  the  clouds,  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the 
air:  and  so  shall  we  ever  be  with  the  Lord."  (i 
Thess.  iv.  16,  17-)  Dead  and  living  saints  are  to 
be  caught  up  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  clouds,  and 
with  him  in  heaven  (not  on  earth)  we  are  to  live 
forever.  "  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you,"  said 
Jesus,  "that  where  I  am  ye  may  be  also." 

This  unscriptural  doctrine  of  the  coming  of 
Christ  to  reign  on  earth  has  been  a  source  of 
trouble  wherever  and  whenever  preached;  and 
every  age  has  produced  men  who  have  talked  of 
and  taught  it,  and  simple-minded  people  have  ever 
been  found  to  believe  it.  Time  and  time  again 
have  men  worked  on  the  prophecies  to  prove  when 
the  Lord  would  come.  Mistakes  and  disappoint- 
ments never  dampen  their  zeal,  nor  do  they  teach 
them  wisdom.  They  set  a  time,  and  prove  it  to  a 
fraction ;  and  yet  when  the  Lord  fails  to  come  at 
the  time  they  have  fixed,  they  set  right  to  work  to 
recast  their  calculations  and  to  fix  another  time. 

The  close  of  the  year  1000  was  fixed  as  the  time. 
Let  us  read  what  a  writer  says  of  it: 

THE  LAST  DAY  OF  THE  YEAR  1000. 

It  was  believed  in  the  middle  ages  that  the  world  would  come 
to  an  end  at  the  expiration  of  one  thousand  years  of  the  Chris- 
tian era.  This  expectation  in  Christian  countries  was  universal. 
The  year  1,000  was  a  period  of  suspense,  terror,  and  awe.  The 
histories  of  this  dark  period  give  vivid  accounts  and  incidents 
of  the  state  of  the  people  under  the  influence  of  this  awful  ap- 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     317 

prehension.  A  writer  in  6" unday  at  Home  reproduces  the  picture 
with  much  distinctness,  and  relates  an  incident  of  the  manner 
that  the  hours  were  numbered  on  the  supposed  final  night  of  the 
year,  which  might  aptly  suggest  a  dramatic  subject  for  a  poet: 

When  the  last  day  of  the  year  1000  dawned,  the  madness  had 
attained  its  height.  All  work  of  whatever  kind  was  suspended. 
The  market-places  were  deserted.  The  shops  were  shut.  The 
tables  were  not  spread  for  meals.  The  very  household  fires  re- 
mained unlighted.  Men,  when  they  met  in  the  streets,  scarcely 
saw  or  spoke  to  one  another.  Their  eyes  had  a  wild  stare  in 
them,  as  though  they  expected  every  moment  some  terrible 
manifestation  to  take  place. 

Silence  prevailed  everywhere,  except  in  the  Churches,  which 
were  already  thronged  with  eager  devotees,  who  prostrated 
themselves  before  the  shrines  of  their  favorite  saints,  imploring 
their  protection  during  the  fearful  scenes  which  they  supposed 
were  about  to  be  displayed. 

As  the  day  wore  on  the  number  of  those  who  sought  admis- 
sion grew  greater  and  greater,  until  every  corner  of  the  sacred 
edifices,  large  as  these  were,  was  densely  crowded,  and  it  became 
impossible  to  find  room  for  more.  But  the  multitude  outside 
still  strove  and  clamored  for  admission,  filling  the  porches  and 
door-ways  and  climbing  up  the  buttresses  to  find  a  refuge  on  the 
roofs  which  they  could  not  obtain  inside. 

A  strange  and  solemn  commentary  on  the  text  which  binds 
men  to  watch  because  "  they  know  not  whether  the  master  of 
the  house  will  come  at  even,  or  at  midnight,  or  at  the  cock- 
crowing,  or  in  the  morning,"  was  presented  by  the  multitudes 
which  filled  the  churches  that  night. 

Watch  in  very  truth  they  did.  Not  an  eye  was  closed  through- 
out that  lengthened  vigil ;  not  a  knee  but  was  bent  in  humblest 
supplication;  not  a  voice  but  joined  the  penitential  chant,  or 
put  up  a  fervent  entreaty  for  help  and  projection. 

There  were  no  clocks  in  those  days,  but  the  flight  of  the  hours 
was  marked  by  great  waxen  tapers,  with  metal  balls  attached  at 
intervals  to  them.  These  fell,  one  after  another,  as  the  flames 
reached  the  strings  by  which  they  were  secured,  into  a  brazen 
basin  beneath,  with  a  clang  which  resounded  through  the 
church. 

At  the  recurrence  of  each  of  these  warning  sounds  the  awe 


318      The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

of  the  vast  assembly  seemed  to  deepen  and  intensify,  as  each  in 
terrible  suspense  supposed  that  between  him  and  the  outburst 
of  divine  wrath  only  the  briefest  interval  now  remained. 

At  last  the  night,  long  as  it  was,  began  to  draw  to  an  end. 
The  chill  which  precedes  daylight  pervaded  the  air,  and  in  the 
eastern  sky  the  first  pale  gleam  of  morning  began  to  shoAv  itself. 
The  light  grew  stronger  in  the  heavens,  and  the  flame  of  the 
candles  paled  before  it;  and  at  last  the  rays  of  the  risen  sun 
streamed  through  the  windows  on  the  white  and  anxious  faces 
of  the  watchers.  The  night  had  passed  away.  A  new  day,  a 
new  year,  a  new  century  had  begun.  The  text  that  says  that 
"no  man  knoweth  the  day  nor  the  hour"  had  a  new  meaning. 

Then  in  our  own  day  we  have  had  some  expe- 
rience in  this  line.  About  the  year  1840  William 
Miller  announced  that  Christ  would  come  and  set 
up  his  throne  upon  earth  in  October,  1843.  He 
said  that  at  this  time  the  world  would  be  burned 
up  and  cleansed  by  fire  for  the  abode  of  the  risen 
righteous. 

These  were  the  points  made  by  Mr.  Miller  in 
working  out  his  problem:  "i.  The  little  horn  of 
Daniel  viii.  is  the  Roman  papal  power.  2.  The 
'daily  sacrifice'  which  the  little  horn  'took  away' 
(chap.  viii.  11-13)  was  the  pagan  worship  of  idols 
in  old  Rome.  3.  The  papal  power  abolished  this 
pagan  idolatry  in  A.D.  508  or  A.D.  538.  4.  The 
'sanctuary7  which  was  'cleansed*  (chap.  viii.  14) 
is  this  entire  world,  and  its  cleansing  is  to  be  by 
fire  in  1843.  Now,  to  find  the  exact  time  of  this 
great  conflagration  and  cleansing  he  called  in  the 
aid  of  chapter  ix.  23-25." 

We  will  not  follow  out  all  his  reasoning  and  fig- 
uring, for  its  failure  is  the  proof  of  its  fallacy.  He, 
with  all  others  of  his  kind,  takes  the  unscriptural, 


The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ.     319 

untenable  ground  that  a  day  stands  for  a  year  in 
prophecy. 

The  spirit  in  which  these  dupes  of  a  delusion 
take  their  frequent  disappointments,  were  it  not  so 
sad,  would  be  amusing.  Let  me  in  conclusion 
give  a  single  quotation  from  one  of  them  who  is 
rallying  his  brethren  for  one  more  waiting.  In 
speaking  of  the  "  little  book  "  given  by  the  angel 
to  John  to  be  eaten  by  him,  after  quoting  the  pas- 
sage, he  says:  "  These  are  the  directions  given  to 
the  Church  for  their  further  movements,  after  their 
first  disappointment;  and,  my  brethren  of  the  ad- 
vent faith,  I  would  not  chide  you ;  for  you  have  eat- 
en of  this  little  book  for  the  past  forty  years  with  a 
keen  relish;  ay,  you  have  endured  the  bitter,  too, 
which  has  followed,  like  heroes.  If  I  could  chide 
you,  it  would  be  in  this:  that  you  now  refuse  to 
eat  more.  The  bitter  has  been  so  bitter  (yet  the 
sweet  was  truly  as  sweet  as  honey)  and  has  been 
so  exhausting  (apparently)  that  many,  very  many, 
have  decided  that  it  is  bestybr  the  body  that  we 
should  eat  no  more.  Truly  the  result  of  every 
morsel  since  taking  the  book  from  the  angel  has 
been  bitterness.  But,  my  brethren,  if  we  are  the 
people  of  God,  there  is  just  one  step  more  for  us  to 
take,  and  only  one.  Hear  it  right  from  the  lips  of 
the  same  angel  that  told  John  to  take  the  book  from 
the  hand  of  the  first  angel:  'And  he  said  unto  me, 
Thou  must  -prophesy  again  [What,  again?  Yes, 
again]  before  many  peoples,  and  nations,  and 
tongues,  and  kings.7" 


320     The  Kingdom  and  Comings  of  Christ. 

Then,  after  making  calculations,  the  author 
winds  up  by  fixing  on  1889  as  the  year,  and  says: 
"  Why  shall  we  not  expect  the  Lord  in  1889?  The 
writer,  while  he  lays  claim  to  no  worldly  wisdom, 
and  makes  no  pretensions  as  to  being  a  prophet, 
yet  has  no  doubt  that  the  year  18^89  will  bring  the 
event  mentioned  in  the  last  verse  of  Daniel's  proph- 
ecy, and  means  and  expects  to  be  ready." 

So  we  see  that  no  amount  of  disappointment  can 
dampen  the  ardor  or  cloud  the  faith  of  these  false 
interpreters  of  prophecy.  Having  accepted  as  true 
that  Christ  is  to  reign  in  the  flesh  on  earth,  noth- 
ing else  will  do  them. 

The  doctrine,  as  taught  by  the  "  Second  Advent- 
ists,"  that  Christ  is  to  reign  in  the  flesh  here  on 
earth  is  entirely  outside  the  Scripture.  Peter  tells 
us  plainly  that  the  "  heavens  must  receive  him  un- 
til the  times  of  restitution  of  all  things."  All  wrho 
hold  this  doctrine  disparage  faith  by  their  longing 
desire  to  see  Christ  come  and  inaugurate  a  system 
of  work  here  on  earth  that  shall  be  superior  to  that 
now  in  operation.  But  this  will  never  be.  When 
Christ  shall  come  again — which  he  surely  will — 
it  will  be  "  with  a  shout,  with  the  voice  of  the  arch- 
angel, and  with  the  trump  of  God:  and  the  dead  in 
Christ  shall  rise  first:  then  we  which  are  alive  and 
remain  shall  be  caught  up  together  with  them  in 
the  clouds,  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air:  and  so 
shall  we  ever  be  with  the  Lord  [not  on  earth,  but 
in  heaven].  Amen." 


(    Ul 
VJ 


or  THE  \ 

UNIVERSITY   ) 
or  / 


YB 


t  riH! 


